Pandorum: the story as it should have been told
by cthulu45
Summary: I like the movie but thought that it had so many holes in the plot and unnecessary twists that it drove me nearly insane. This is my attempt at tying the storyline together so that it makes more sense. At least to me... Rated M for colorful language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Roused

During training, they had told him that waking up from cryogenic sleep was painful but they had lied. It was unbearably torturous.

He opened his eyes and tried to breathe but couldn't. His panic sent him into a flailing fit as he gulped for air. The cold was all around him and it was penetrating. He wheezed and writhed. He was freezing and choking. So much pain. The hoses and wires connected to his body flopped as he struggled. He was floating? Even more pain wracked him as his blood circulation increased throughout his body. A cold icy glass window was the first thing he could see in the dim light. He was in a small personal chamber. It was too coffin-like. Claustrophobia didn't bother him but he still desperately wanted to get out. He couldn't feel the floor beneath his feet. Still couldn't breathe. He groped for his face and felt the mask. Pulled the mask off his face... better. He took in some deep hurting breaths. The pain was so intense. He was trembling violently.

Memories fluttered in his mind. He recalled some of the testing and his military training. He reached behind for the harness that held him suspended within the cryopod. He was shaking from the cold and the pain, his arms were numb. His cold fingers felt the clasp release and snapped it open sending himself falling a few inches. It might as well have been a ten foot fall because as his feet made contact with the floor, it hurt even worse than suspension had. His legs failed to support his weight and he dropped to his knees. His legs were on fire with the burning needles of returning blood circulation. He felt the nausea and took in more breaths, willing away the gags.

He couldn't remember his name or why he was there. Strangely, he could remember the training of how to open the cryopod and how to disconnect himself from the lifeline surgically implanted deep within his brachial artery. He knew that he was in deep space on a transport ship. He could not, however, recall what he was doing in cryogenic sleep, where he was going or what he was supposed to be doing when he got there.

Absentmindedly, he peeled some of the viscous membrane from his body. It was as tight as a second layer of skin. The peeling process was painless, the covering pulled away smoothly with only a slight adherence to his body hair.

Vivid memories of a lovely blond with whom he was involved flickered in and out of his thoughts but he didn't know who she was or when he had known her. He had a sinking feeling in his chest as though she had hurt him. Perhaps he had hurt her. Either way, there was a weighing sense of loss.

Only one ceiling light in the large room illuminated his surroundings. There were six other pods next to his. The name J. Cooper was printed on the glass of the pod nearest to his. Second Lieutenant J. Cooper of Flight Crew Detachment 5. Cooper's pod was empty. The other was 1st Lieutenant C. Payton of Flight Crew Detachment 5. Payton looked like a frozen fish in a freezer.

_Jesus, what a way to travel._

The other three pods were empty. That didn't seem right to him.

The pain in his body was starting to subside.

During training he had been put through several simulated cryogenic procedures. The thin membrane that he had partially peeled off was designed to protect his surface skin from the intense cold. All of the leads and tubing kept him feed, hydrated and his vitals monitored during cryogenic hibernation.

He removed all of the stiff connections still trying to recall anything besides his training but nothing was coming to mind. It was as though his memories were sentient, purposely eluding him, hiding deep within the recesses of his mind, just out of the reach of recovery.

The name in bold letters on the pod he had emerged from was R. Bower. Corporal R. Bower of Flight Crew Detachment 5. "Bower?" he asked aloud. His voice was pathetically weak and hoarse. It hurt to swallow.

_Well at least my name's not Corporal Butkiss or Lipshitz_

There was a loud roaring and the entire ship shuddered violently. The reactor was offline and trying to reboot. Time between the quaking intervals would give him an idea of how much time he had before the ship when bye-bye in a giant nuclear blast.

_How in the hell do I know all this?_ He wondered.

As the last of the violently tremors subsided, the lone fluorescent light blinked twice then went out, enveloping him in complete darkness. The room was as lost to him as his memories.

His mind clutched at flashes of his broken recollections. He got a basic idea of the room and even in the darkness, he managed to make his way to a storage bin. Inside he grabbed a few chem lights, which were around four times the size of civilian versions, snapped one and shook the green liquid until it glowed so that he could see again. It was surprisingly bright.

_Not bad._

He knew from memory that his locker was in this room too. He found the locker that read "Bower" and opened it. No memories rushed forth when he saw the name labeled uniforms or his personal items. A small mirror was built on the inside panel of the locker door. There was a familiar photo stuck in the edge of it. The blond... that lovely face and wonderful smile. Again, he felt that strange hollow feeling in his stomach as he gazed at her.

Pocketing the photo, Bower studied himself. Unsurprisingly, no memories stirred in the soup of his mind. His sandy hair was overgrown, his beard shaggy and matted. His skin was mottled red and blotches of the cryogenic membrane still clung to him in patches. Bloodshot, tortured and exhausted eyes stared back at him. He looked homeless and he did not recognized the face staring back at him. What he was able to ascertain was he that he needed to shower, shave and trim his hair so that he was once again compliant with Military Regulations.

After he cleaned himself up, Bower made his way to the exit door of the locker room and found it locked. It should have lead him to the Security Center and beyond that the Bridge. Was he the only one awake? What if something went wrong? What if he couldn't get the reactor?

He clicked open the electric door control panel to make sure all the wiring was correct and it looked pristine. There was a lot of dust but the wires all had good contact. The power must be off. The reactor could be altering the power throughout the ship, subsequently shutting down areas of less priority but this area was where the ship was operated. It was top priority, so this and the surrounding doors should have power even in times of emergency.

Bower felt as though something in the room was watching him. It was a fleeting fear, but it was enough to cause him to fret. He walked the perimeter of the room and made sure he was alone. Where did that feeling come from?

_Too many scary movies I guess._

He had a lot of questions and no answers. He paced for a bit vainly attempting to form some sort of plan. It was as though he had lost some of his brain cells in the cryopod.

_Was that possible?_

Shaking his head, he convinced himself that pondering about the effects of cryogenics on the brain was the last thing he needed to be worrying about at the moment. The military training kicked in. When in doubt, report to a superior. That was the SOP: Standard Operating Procedure. It was time to wake up Payton.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Exploration

Bower went to the control station next to the computer console and couldn't get anything to work. Like the door, the power seemed to be cut off or disconnected.

_This is getting frustrating. _

Nothing made sense, nothing was working, he couldn't get out of the room he was in and he couldn't ask for advise. This was as bad as it could possibly get. Fubar, fucked up beyond all repair. If he could just ask the Flight Officer, maybe he had a code or a passkey for entrance to the Bridge.

He approached Lieutenant Payton's cryopod. The older man was suspended like a slab of meat at the butchers. The mask covered his face so Bower couldn't get a really good look at him but from what he could see, he didn't recognize the man.

"Lieutenant!" he yelled as loudly as he could, "Lieutenant Payton!" The cryopods were hermetically sealed and hardy enough to withstand exposure to space travel and atmospheric reentry so there was no chance his cries could be heard to the masked man within but he screamed anyway. Somehow, yelling made him feel better. "Wake up Goddammit! Lieutenant Payton!"

He found a heavy tool for some of the larger machinery in the room and began beating Payton's cryopod with it. Again, it was useless but it made him feel even better than just screaming. "Lieutenant! Lieutenant Payton! Wake the fuck up!"

Solitary confinement. Bower felt like a fish in a bowl.

He gave up and dropped the heavy tool. He sank with his back to Payton's pod, hands holding his head. _Think man! _A blur of memories and recollections were fading in and out of his mind's eye but nothing was pertinent or making sense. His gaze ended up towards the ceiling of the room and he noticed a maintenance shaft with the hatch hanging open. _What the hell?_

Cooper must have headed through there. It was the the only way to get out of the room.

_Okay. Just take it nice and slow._

He was aware that the maintenance passages were vast and twisting. The ship's artificial gravity could get mix up while within compact spaces such as the work tunnels. He was going to have to be extremely cautious.

Bower stood below the dark hatch looking up at it. Why was he hesitating? He didn't really have a choice. He couldn't sit around not knowing what was going on without any lights or power. He would climb the fucking walls after a day or two. He had no choice. It was the tunnels or madness.

Before he hoisted himself up, Bower grabbed a portable communications unit and clipped it to his collar. He would get to another area of the ship and try to raise a response or, if he got lucky, maybe someone would be trying to get a response from him. He also grabbed a handful of chem lights, a small flashlight, two bottles of water and a few packets of super snacks and he was ready for a little exploration of the duct. He stuffed the items in the cargo pockets of his aviation coveralls.

Once he had climbed up, he left a lit glow stick by the entrance hatch so he could see it in case he had to come back this way. The glow was a beacon of hope amidst the deep darkness of the tunnels.

It was a tight fit in the shaft. Once he had scooted a few feet from the entrance, he decided he was hungry. He tore open the thick wrapping of a super snack and tossed it down. The bite-sized morsel tasted horrible, like a chewy soda cracker coated with vitamins but the enhanced protein, minerals and heavy carbohydrates could keep a person alive as long as he could stomach the shit.

His burp tasted like soda water and he grimaced, eyes watering while trying to focus on the duct system ahead.

The passage he was in was a long shaft and it headed towards the main corridor and common areas. He knew from his limited memory the layout of this area of the ship.

The ship was divided into separate sections not only by function, but by the different teams. His unit was Flight Team 5 which was near the hanger and the bridge. His team was aviation but mainly focused on maintenance and engineering with the larger transport crafts docked within the hanger. There were two separate Flight Teams 4 and 6 who were more military oriented and their area was close to the training simulators and the hangers for the smaller fighters.

He was once again baffled by how well he could remember certain things but other seemingly more important memories remained out of reach of recollection.

There were a few common areas and the main corridors which linked all the sectors of the ship together towards the center and towards the middle decks. If he could get out of this sector and into one of the main passages he had a much better chance of finding out some badly needed info.

The maintenance shaft was dark and cold. It seemed almost alive as it pawed and grasped at him with its tangle of cords, twists of piping and shiny conduits that lined the sides of the shaft. His flashlight beam was swallowed by the depth of the passage. He had to carefully crawl to get through the stomach of this corridor it was so compact. Even though he could still see the glow stick he had planted at the entrance of the tunnel, he was unnerved the further he ventured away from it.

He would crawl a few yards and then turn to look for the chem light, like some lonely ship in a dark stormy sea searching for a lighthouse beacon. For some reason, doing this made him feel better but he also felt foolish. He wasn't a child afraid of the darkness so what was he doing? Maybe it gave him a sense of being in control. He was baffled by his behavior and he wondered if this uncharacteristic action was somehow linked to his memory loss.

As he turned back towards the direction he was crawling there was nothing for his hand to grasp as he reached forward. Expecting to feel the cold steel flooring under his palm, he was shocked to find nothing there and for a split second, he seemed to hang in mid-air like some cartoon character. Suddenly he was falling forward, desperately clawing at anything close to halt his descent.

_SHIT!_

His insides lurched in a sickening reflex of fear and disbelief. He couldn't find anything to grab onto as he scrambled for a hold.

_NO!_

The flashlight tumbling out of his hand as he flailed to catch himself.

_DEAR GOD!_

Everything went silent around him as he fell frightfully fast. He was turning in his fall, but in the darkness could not tell which way he was facing. Something struck his face and instinctively he lashed out at it. His arm and one of his legs were becoming tangled in something thick and snake-like and it tightened abruptly around his limbs all of the blood rushed to his head. He slowly settled onto a cold hard surface. The floor! He had reached bottom and his fall had been broken!

_THANK YOU JESUS!_

Bower was in a vertical shaft and he was fine because robust insulation of the energy cables had partially entwined him just enough to break the fall and not his bones. He easily dislodged himself from the helpful cables.

He felt like he had just won the Lottery.

His celebration was short lived.

The smell hit him like a runaway cart. Oh God what a stench. He covered his nose and wretched. The fumes seemed to pry into his plugged nostrils like insistent fingers and the strength of the odor was making his eyes water. Coughing and choking he picked up the fallen flashlight and shone it around and saw the body at his feet.

The corpse was crumpled in a heap. He could see that the hapless person had not survived the same fall he had. It was swollen with decay and he figured it had been laying there for a few days. The neck was terribly broken and twisted. Fighting the horrible stench, he stooped and saw that the name on the uniform was Lieutenant Cooper.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Altercation

What a horrible way to die. Bower was still counting his blessings that he was spared the same fate as Cooper. That sudden drop off in the shaft was a death trap seemingly laid out but the ship itself. It were as though his very surroundings were against him and were conspiring to end his life. He eyed the vertical shaft around him nervously.

There was nothing he could do for Cooper at the moment so he opened the hatch at his feet and climbed down into some sort of storage locker. The locker was probably four feet high and four feet in depth and width. It was partially full of neatly stacked uniforms, boots, gloves and shoes.

When he released the latch to the door of the locker, he tumbled out with some of the stored items, forming a pile of leather and rubber on the room floor. His flashlight beam showed him that this was a smaller storage room probably for the aviation personnel. It was much warmer here in the main area of the ship than it had been in the flight wing. The door to the storage room which lead to one of the main corridors was partially closed and it took a fair amount of strain to get it opened.

It squealed and creaked like it hadn't been opened for a few decades.

The air in the main corridor was stale like a tomb. The silence was eerie.

Without power, all of the normal ventilation and lighting was only working sporadically. The similarity of the passages in the darkness was going to make it difficult for him not to get lost while he was trying to find his way around. His flashlight beam seemed a lot smaller than it had in the maintenance shaft.

Bower dropped another light stick in front of the doors to find his way back, then he hurried towards the security bay.

The main corridor was cavernous, stretching about fifteen feet high and about twenty feet wide. It was divided down the center by vertical steel support struts. Rough steel grating tiled the floor and below it all of the plumbing, air pressure pipes and ducts were visible. Along the walls were intercoms, deck directories and an occasional computer terminal. Normally, there were florescent panels overhead and brightly lit signs on the walls that pointed out potential hazards and bay nomenclatures but now they were dark and dirty.

The ship was much different in the darkness than when it was lit. It seemed oppressive, as if the shadows themselves were draping over him weighing him down. He half-expected some unknown creature to pounce at him from the blackness, rending him fiercely with long wicked claws and dragging him off to some dark corner to be devoured. He shuddered with revulsion.

Sometimes an overactive imagination could be a curse rather than an escape.

_Snap out of this shit, man! You're a soldier for fuck's sake._

At the first junction of corridors, Bower heard a furtive sound barely perceptible, a quiet rustling. His ears must be playing tricks on him. His heart skipped a beat then began pounding in his ears.

He peeked around the bay door to the adjoining corridor and saw a lithe form placing a heavy steel bar in between a set of side bay doors. With surprising ferocity, she pulled hard on the makeshift crowbar and the door creaked and slid open a few inches.

"Hi there!" he called with as much friendliness as he could muster, "Am I glad to see—wait!"

The woman didn't even turn to look at him. She dropped the bar, turned and fled full-bore away from him down the main passage.

"Wait!" He pursued her as fast as he could.

"My name is Corporal Bower," he called. "You don't have to be afraid of me! Wait!"

She didn't wait and to his surprise she was actually outrunning him. Legs and arms pumping hard close to her body, she ran with aggression.

Having a decent lead, she rounded a corner ahead of him and he lost sight of her. He stopped and listened for her footfalls so he could continue pursuit but all he heard was his own wheezing.  
_Damn._

She had to be close.

He strode to the nearest junction and looked both ways. To his left, he saw her standing in the shadows of the hall.

"Don't run again, okay?" He diverted his light away from her so she wouldn't spook. "I don't care if you were stealing or anything." Cautiously, he took a slow step towards her watching her closely. "I just wanna ask you a couple of questions."

She stood silently facing him. Something didn't seem right.

He continue moving towards her. "How are you awake?"

More silence.

"Hello?"

Still no response. Stiff stance. No reaction.

_What the hell?_

"Hello! What, are you fucking deaf?"

Now that he was closer to her, there was definitely something not right. He stopped, unsure of what to do next. Slowly he let the beam of his flashlight drift towards her.

He spoke more quietly, "Hello?"

A corpse hung by its neck from a thin cable. The neck was broken, head drooped to one side, eyes wide and its tongue extended out of its mouth.

_Christ!_

It was evident the poor guy had not died quickly. His neck was bleeding not only from the cable digging in so deeply but also from him clawing at it trying to free himself. His feet rested on the grating but that was normal in hangings. The neck bones break and the skin stretches downward as the muscles relax and the blood settles after the body has hung for a while.

Bower studied the cable. It was connected to some sort of rigging that had been attached to the steel rafters. This smaller passage was only about nine feet high. The same steel grating was built in to support the cabling and pipes from the main corridor on its ceiling. There was a narrow crawlspace overhead for maintenance with manholes positioned every ten feet or so for accessibility.

The rigging had been set up in that tight crawlspace.

Was it a booby trap? If so, who would set a trap for their fellow crew members?

He didn't have time to ponder because as he took another step closer to the corpse, he was kicked in the side of the head. Half from the force of the blow and the other half from his recoiling in shock, he fell back on his ass. The woman came into view from the shadows, moving low and fast at him. He scrambled to get back on his feet but she spun and kicked him again.

This strike landed more solidly. Even though he had put up his arms defensively to protect his face, he was still knocked flat on his back. She rolled onto him, her face close to his. Was she going to bite him? Instinctively, he threw a punch at her face but she caught his arm. Her grip was like steel.

She pressed down on his captured arm and despite his resistance, she managed to tuck it under her leg at his side. She was hard and strong like an athlete. He felt cold sharp steel at his neck.

"Don't move." she whispered into his ear. Her breath gave him goosebumps.

Bower froze.

She frisked him. She pulled out the photo of the blonde from his breast pocket, glanced at it and tossed it aside. Her hands moved lower searching him.

He felt violated.

"Wait, he pleaded, "Wait a minute. I'm with the flight crew."

She continue feeling him up, forceful swift fingers prying into his pockets.

"Really, I'm part of the flight crew." He lifted his head while he was speaking and she slammed an elbow across his forehead.

"Don't you move," she hissed. She was speaking so softly he could barely make out the words. Why the hell was she whispering?

Evidently she was done searching him because she moved to her feet then bent over him with the knife still near his throat. "Take them off," she breathed.

"What?" he asked, not really sure what to think.

_My God is she going to strip me? What for? Rape?_

Though grimy, she was undeniably beautiful.

He still bristled at the thought.

"Shoes." she murmured, "Take them off."

So the implication went from rape to petty thievery. Well, shit.

Bower didn't know whether to be disappointed or not.

He reached for his boots slowly, his mind racing for a way out of his predicament. He glanced at her footwear. She was wearing some sort of makeshift sandals with soft rubber soles and cloth wrappings. He remembered the room just down the hall. He was about to tell her about a much better selection of shoes and boots when he heard a strange clicking noise.

She gasped. Her eyes were wide like a rabbit detecting a nearby fox.

It was like the sound of a person clipping their toenails but louder and more rapid in succession. _Tat, tat, tat, tat, tat_. He could feel the powerful sound waves reverberating in his ears.

He risked moving to turn away from her and look down the corridor. Something roared from the inky blackness. It was an angry sound, a hungry sound.

Whatever it was, it could not be one of the crew members. Even the most vile and deranged person was incapable of such noises.

He spun his head back to her for answers and saw she had vanished.

_Oh shit._

Getting to his feet, Bower grabbed up the discarded photo. He picked up his flashlight. He heard more inhuman cries from the other direction and realized that he was being surrounded.

_Oh shit._

The hanging corpse was yanked violently upward into the manhole causing him to jump in fear.

_Shit!_

Awful sounds came from above. He chanced a peek with his light beam. He saw some movement and heard more sickening wet sounds of eating. My God its eating the dead body! He nearly gagged.

The roars were closer now and getting louder.

Bower pivoted toward the room full of shoes and fled.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Contact

Bower ran like his ass was on fire. He'd never moved so fast in his life. The thought of something inhuman killing him and eating him was enough to ignite his adrenaline and spiraled him into a new level of hauling ass.

They were closing in on him.

Although he couldn't see down the main corridor when he reached it, he could hear at least one of the things further down. He turned the corner, spied the light stick he had dropped earlier and sprinted full bore at the bay doorway. Before slipping inside, he kicked the bright stick further down the passage as hard as he could. He didn't slow down and charged towards the tall storage units. He leaped as high as he could onto the top level locker and fought his way inside it closing the door behind him.

As an extra precaution, he climbed into the ventilation shaft sliding behind some of the thick wiring. He embraced the darkness and the narrowness of the shaft now although it had nearly served as his coffin minutes beforehand.

Cooper's body slid down out of the hatch and into the locker space below with a dull thud.

He prayed the thump wasn't loud enough for the beasts to hear. They were still screaming and from the sound of it, they were further down the hall where his light stick came to rest.

Sweat poured out of him. This was a fear that he had never experienced before. His whole body was shaking with terror.

_Let me fall down another shaft, God. I'd even be willing to starve to death in here. Just please don't let these things get me._

Silence.

His breathing sounded thunderous in the quiet space. He clasped a hand over his nose and mouth trying to slow his respiration. He closed his eyes.

_Tat, tat, tat, tat, tat._

The vibration of the sound moved through the room and into the shaft around him. Echolocation? Were they using sound to track him?

More silence.

He desperately searched the archives of his memory for what steps he had taken when he barreled through the room. Before the leap and scramble into the locker, he tried to remember if he had dropped anything or shifted anything that could give away his hiding spot.

He heard them moving outside the locker maybe nine feet below him. It was impossible to tell how many there were but even one was too many. The darkness could be carved with a knife it was so thick and he wondered how they were moving so quietly. A scuff here, a soft swish there was all he could detect. Then he heard sniffing: rapid inhalations through the nose like a bloodhound on the trail of an escapee. He squeezed his eyes shut again.

Bower remembered the two latched doors that separated him from the monsters: the locker door and the maintenance hatch door at his feet. He recalled pulling the locker door shut behind him. He remembered climbing through the hatch door and into his current spot. After that, Cooper's body had fallen down through the open hatch and into the locker underneath. Open hatch, OPEN hatch. The hatch was open. _You left the fucking hatch to this shaft open you asshole!_

He couldn't do anything about it now so he remained in his tight spot, curled into a fetal ball, eyes closed tightly.

He envisioned one of the creatures bursting into the shaft and grabbing him dragging him down where they would all fall upon him, gnawing him open while he struggled to escape.

He was going to piss himself.

More sniffing.

A shriek rang out so loudly that it made him jump. The locker door was hammered upon and torn off the hinges. He heard tearing fabric and looked below him to see long, powerful, pale arms grasping Cooper's body and jerking it out of the locker.

Thank God he still had his hand clasped over his mouth or he would have let out a scream like a little girl.

One of them was carrying his jettisoned glow stick and in its low illumination he was able to see their shadows dragging the corpse out of the room. They were making excited sounds of triumph, like hunters that had just bagged a buck. He risked a peek by spreading out on the shaft floor and lowering his head down.

In the pale blue light they looked like demons.

He didn't get a very good look because the one carrying the light stick moved out of the room and the darkness followed. One of the hunters straggled behind.

It was moving away from him but he could still see that it was pale, almost white like powder. It was man-sized, its arms were longer than a man's and it looked powerfully dangerous. Its joints were thick and strong with long filthy nails on the hands and feet. It was wearing some type of rudimentary armor with long spikes jutting from the metal plates. It was carrying a spear of some type. His investigation ended as the light finally faded from the room.

The hunters were gone within a few minutes but Bower remained laying on his stomach afraid to move. He was also struggling to wrap his mind around what had transpired. What the hell were those things? How did they get aboard the vessel? How many of them were there?

His thoughts drifted to the woman. Although she had attacked him, he still wondered if she had managed to escape. Worrying about her was probably pointless because she was much more battle-hardened than he was. How strong and swift she had been. He realized why she had been so fearless towards him because compared to one of the hunters, he must have appeared as an easy target.

Once again, the memories of the lovely blond fluttered into his thoughts.

Bower cautiously descended to the deck, keeping his flashlight pointed downward so he could see but it would not so easily give his position away. He crossed the boot-strewn room and risked looking out of the bay doors.

The corridors were empty.

The lovely blond.

How could he had left her? He had loved her. The strong pulling at his heart and the longing of seeing her again were telltale signs of a deep relationship. Perhaps she had been his wife. He remembered bits of their love-making, scraps of laying in each others arms, her laugh, her smile and the way she looked at him. Guilt settled in, making him feel remorseful and saddened. If she was so important, how could he not even remember her name?

_Pandorum._

The name slithered into recognition like a slimy worm.

Pandorum: it wasn't her name. Somehow he knew it wasn't. It was the name of a planet. Pandorum was where they were headed.

There was a crackle from the com-unit he had clipped to his collar and a small voice announced, "This is Lieutenant Payton of Flight Crew Five. If there is anyone out there please respond."

Finally.

Bower wanted to cheer. That would probably bring the murderous hunters back looking for him, so he quickly stifled his happiness.

He spoke quietly into the com unit, "Lieutenant, this is Corporal Bower. I read you loud and clear. Am I glad to hear your voice."

"Likewise, Corporal. I just woke up out of cryo-sleep. What's our status? None of these readings make any sense." His voice was deep and full of confidence.

"Have you been able to contact the bridge, sir?"

"No. You're the first response I've had and I can barely read you. What's your position?"

"I'm on deck five near the storage containers. I was trying to reach the bridge on foot but ran into a serious problem that needs immediate attention."

"You mean besides the core exploding in a few hours, Corporal? You've encountered a bigger problem than that?"

This was going to be a little more difficult than he thought. "Yes sir. I understand your impatience but the security of the ship has been compromised. There is a pack of some sort of monsters loose on the ship. They are hunting and feeding on the crew. We have to contact the bridge."

"What are you talking about? I have been trying to contact the bridge. I already told you there has been no response. I got the security computer working with the manual power."

Bower had forgotten about the hand-cranked power supplies located at the security terminals. He could have powered up the computer himself. No use crying over spilled milk.

Payton was still talking, "My access is limited but the records indicate that we should have been awaken by Flight Team Four. Have you made contact with anyone?"

"Yes, the hostiles."

There was a pause then Payton asked, "Is Lieutenant Cooper with you?"

"Cooper's dead. He fell down the maintenance shaft a few days ago. Those things, the hunters got a hold of his body. They are probably eating him right now."

Another pause. "You've been in hyper-sleep for eight years. It's normal to have bouts of memory loss and even confusion at times. It can all get jumbled up in your head and really affect your perception and judgment. If Cooper's dead there are procedures we need to follow."

"You're not hearing me, sir. There's no procedure for this. They can't write a manual for this shit. After what I just saw, any procedure went out the fucking window."

"Listen, I need you to calm down. You're all we've got out there if we're going to figure this out. Let's get back to these other guys."

Bower's patience was wearing thin. "Guys? Those weren't guys. They took Cooper's body. They didn't seem human. We have to try and contact the bridge."

"You're still assuming that there is someone on the bridge."

"There has to be. We can't be alone in this."

"Well, alone or not, we can't assume help will be coming. Out here there is no rescue and there is no turning around. I don't think this thing was even built to return."

Bower stiffened. "What are you talking about?

I'm saying that this is no ordinary transport. We're not out on the belt collecting data. We're not hauling cargo. We are the cargo. Sixty thousand people on a single launch trajectory.

_Pandorum._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Reminisce

Bower was staggered by a flood of memories entering his brain like a whirlpool, swirling and draining into his mind's eye. He suddenly remembered his boyhood. He was around eight when he first learned of the space probe touching down on Pandorum. He was standing in front of the television, an excited anchorman was reporting on the landing and giving a step by step narration of the probe's progress.

Behind him, his parent's watched too. They locked eyes and held hands and the monumental news of the probe's successful sending of the first reading on Pandorum which were supposed to arrive at any second.

The man on the television chirped, "Twenty-five billion people watched in awe as these breathtaking images of Pandorum arrived from the Popolous probe and were broadcast yesterday. These images were taken as the probe was entering the orbit of the only Earth-like planet known to exist. People of the whole world are watching as the probe sent into space is transferring data exceeding even the most optimistic expectations. We knew to expect water on Pandorum. We knew to expect reasonable temperatures. The question remained: will this planet meet the extremely complex and unlikely combination of parameters to support life as we know it? The probe has touched down on the planet six days ago. It's sending off its first transmission that is expected to arrive any second now."

It showed lived footage of the probe's panoramic cameras showing its surroundings. The probe slowly made its way down a short embankment and it shifted slightly, the cameras and satellite dish sweeping back and forth constantly.

Another man's voice came on, "Ladies and Gentlemen, this is an unprecedented moment for all mankind." The probe's cameras zeroed in on a target in the distance and began to zoom in, "Are we seeing this? First detection as we had hoped. This needs to be verified, but it appears some form of plant life is present. My God, life on Pandorum. There is life detection. We have habitat detection. Verified, this is a monumental day for all of us. Its only a matter of time before we send people out there."

* * *

When he came out of his reminiscing episode, he was sitting with his back to the wall. He still felt the excitement and wonder that he had felt all the years ago as a child. It was strange how hyper-sleep would bring back memories in an unexpected torrent like it just had.

"You still there, Corporal?" Payton's voice crackled over the small speaker of the unit clasped onto his collar.

"Processing and population," Bower said quietly. "We're a settler's vessel. This ship, the Elysium, was a one way ticket." His mind drifted to the memory of the lovely blonde lying on her side on his bed. She was smiling brightly at him. "How could I have left her? How could I have done that? I loved her."

Payton's voice over the com interrupted his retrospective thoughts. "We have to get to the bridge. We've got to get control of the ship before these guys rip it apart. This is too fucking important."

Bower was distracted and was only partially listening. "Payton, for some reason I remember you being married. Where's your wife?"

"What?"

"Do you remember the recruitment? The breeding tests, the husbands, the wives, we didn't leave all of them behind. Some of them are here on board with us aren't they? They have to be."

Bower stood up and peeked out into the main corridor. He could see the bright blue glow of his glow stick further down the passage. Apparently, the hunters didn't need light to see in the gloom and had cast it aside. He wasn't ready to begin searching the ship again but he had to. "I've got to find her before these fucking animals do. Try to think of where they would be. A sleeping compartment for non-service personnel?"

Payton's reaction was immediate, "Wait, hold on. Think for a sec."

"I remember there were thousands of passengers that weren't part of the development team—families."

"You listen to me! Do you know how big this ship is? You have no idea where your wife—where our wives might be. If you go off on some wild goose chase we're going to be no closer to getting ourselves out of this situation and we'll have even less time to regain control of the ship. Do you understand, Corporal?"

So he's pulling rank. Typical.

"Look," Payton's tone was softer now, "Once we've taken control of the systems, finding them will be easy. Are you hearing me? We save the ship, we save them."

Bower's legs felt rubbery. When he had first entered this hall from the vent, the atmosphere had seemed a little eerie. It was a downright menacing environment now. Sweat began to pour again; every step was awful. He was fighting the strong urge to run back into the shaft and hide.

Eventually, he made his way to the security wing where he found the weapons storage. The rifle and handgun locker did not accept the scan when he held the bar code, tattooed to his forearm, in front of the scanner. Those weapons were probably reserved for officers and security personnel. He noticed another storage unit.

Bower read the name off the side, "Security weapons locker."

"What?" Payton inquired. There was a slight static to his transmission.

He ignored the lieutenant and opened the door. There was another access terminal here. "Non-lethal anti riot guns."

"Close up they'll do some damage."

He gave the emergency auxiliary power handle a few pumps to power up the unit. Then, he positioned the bar code on his arm before the scanner. A red light on the front of the unit turned green and with a click and a hiss the locker hummed open. A weapon appeared in a closed container which rotated towards him. As it turned, an opening in the plexiglass appeared and he removed the weapon from its harness. It was sort of a long glove with a taser mounted on the wrist and forearm. A grip was built into the hand brace so that it could be pumped full of energy.

He switched the weapon on and pumped it to a full charge. He wasn't familiar with this particular type of firearm so he was going to have to be careful not to shoot himself.

Lieutenant Payton had resumed the leadership tone, "Alright, I'm going to lay out a path for you and try to bypass the main security grids. Without power, we'll never get these doors opened."

Bower knew he was right. They had to get the power turned back on but the only way was to reset the reactor and get it back online. "Listen, if you can get to the reactor bay, I can reset the cycle manually."

There was a pause, then Payton asked, "You know how to do that?"

"Yeah."

Another pause. "Its a long way."

"Its the only chance we have."

I'm going to have to get you passed a few security bulkheads. With a little side-stepping and a few short cuts, we'll get you there."

Bower hustled through the halls towards the aft of the ship. There were forks in the corridors at this end as other branching passages intersected into the main corridor. He continued down what he thought was the main hall but, due to the darkness, he realized he had accidentally went down one of the crossing halls instead. "For Christ's sake. Where the hell am I?"

"Okay, okay, hold on. I don't want you going too far."

"These hall all look the same."

"Just catch your breath. You see any bay or corridor numbers?"

Bower risked turning on his flashlight to scan the walls. "I can see Delta 81643 Lima."

"Okay, hold on."

"I don't need to rest just tell me the way."

"The power died on the console again. I have to charge it manually and then reboot the computer and then ship's mapping system. Give me a few mikes."

Bower was going to curse the delay, when he saw the woman from before. She dashed down one of the halls away from him. He remained where he was but he kept a trained eye in the direction she fled. As he waited, he realized he was still trembling. The jitters were like thousands of small spiders crawling down the length of his arms. His hands looked odd as they trembled. "Hey Lieutenant."

"Go ahead."

"What are some of the side-effects of extended hyper sleep besides memory loss?"

A long silence followed then Payton said, "Of all the things to think about now, why would you be thinking about that?"

Bower waited.

Payton voice was somber even over the com, "Were you worrying about the Eden mission? Nothing like that is going to happen on this vessel, trust me."

"What about the Eden?"

"Let me get back to locating your route."

"Look, I asked about hyper sleep. You're the one that brought up the Eden."

"Don't worry about it, don't lose focus-"

"Didn't they have some type of mutiny?"

"I've almost got your position punched back into the computer."

"Just tell me."

"No."

"Why not?"

"I need you focused."

"Just tell me."

Payton sighed, "You just had to remind me of the biggest fucking catastrophe in modern space travel. In flight school, it was the cautionary tale from hell."

"What happened?"

"Two years into their shift one of the officers suffered a massive psychological breakdown. I'm talking about a full on homicidal episode. The doctors call it Extensive Sleep Disorder because your brain is on hiatus too long and it has fails to recognize dream from reality. Anyway, it drove him insane. He became convinced that the flight and the crew was cursed."

_Jesus!_

Bower was almost afraid to ask, "What did he do?"

"He evacuated the ship while in deep space. He launched himself and the rest of the crew to oblivion. Five thousand people sent to their death with one push of a button."

"At least we didn't wake up floating away in a coffin."

Payton laughed bitterly, "Who says we didn't?"

He had a point. They were floating without power. They were heading to their deaths if the reactor couldn't be reset. Bower gathered his courage. "Which way?"

"You're going to go left at the third marker. Just two more levels up and you'll be on the main walkway. It should be easy from there."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Shepard

Bower climbed the ladder two decks up and continued aft. As he passed into the main corridor, he noticed a silent shadow following him. The shadow came up from the ladder well and slipped into the darkness and vanished. Nervously, he shined his light around the area but didn't see anything. If it had been one of the hunters, it probably would have attacked him by now. His eyes must be playing tricks on him. Maybe it was yet another side effect of hyper sleep. He clicked the flashlight off and waited for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. "I just got the shit scared out of me."

"You okay?"

"Yeah, just seeing things." Bower laughed softly.

"Just take your time. Its a long way."

He continued on, his mind still alive with the memories of the beautiful blond that he had left behind. He wondered if she was still alive. He wondered if he would be able to speak to her ever again, to kiss her and hold her. "I feel terrible," he told Payton. "I'm such a shit."

"Why?"

"What if my girl's already been killed and eaten? My God, the thought of something happening to her hurts my heart but I can't even remember her name. I'm not even sure we were married or not. It makes me feel like an uncaring dick is all."

"Well we won't know until you get that reactor back online. I don't mean to be insensitive, but worrying about her when she might already be dead isn't going to help us. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah."

Payton was quiet for a few minutes then, "Now I feel like an uncaring dick."

"You should."

"Sorry. I just need you to be focused. If I thought I could navigate the maintenance shafts like you did, I would be out there helping instead of sitting here with my thumb up my ass."

"I'm at the third marker. I'm taking a left."

Since he was moving in almost complete darkness, Bower was extra cautious. He was going slowly making as little noise as possible. He made his way around the corner away from the main corridor and froze. To his left, he saw the woman standing in the shadows of the hall.

_Wait. What the hell?_

There was a strange sensation that he had seen this before and he had. When he had first pursued the woman, she had lead him to a body. The familiarity of the scene caused him to pause and try to figure out what he was actually seeing. Was he losing control? Was he losing his mind? "This can't be right."

He had been speaking to himself but Payton answered him anyway: "What can't be right?"

"I don't know if I'm hallucinating."

"What? Whats going on? You alright?"

"I've seen this before."

Bower doubted very much that it was the woman trying to ambush him again. Was it another body? He moved closer, watching the shadows around the form carefully. Damn it if he was going to get caught off-guard again.

Tentatively, he clicked the flashlight on and illuminated the hallway. He saw it was another hapless passenger that had been caught in a snare. He was hanging from the ceiling like the last one had been but his feet were still off the floor. "This—this is a different one. It's a booby trap; the ceiling's been rigged."

"Be careful," Payton warned.

As he was checking around with the flashlight Bower noticed that this corpse was in much better condition than the last one had been. This man must have just died a few hours beforehand. He got closer deciding he would check for vitals to make sure he was dead.

The man's eyes flew open.

Bower nearly shit himself.

The guy flailed and lashed out at him hysterically screaming, "No, no!"

"Quiet!" Bower hissed. He stepped closer trying to gain control of the man's erratic thrashing. Since he was dangling, the guy's flailing limbs were striking at Bower from unusual angles.

"No!" the man was begging.

Bower got his arms locked around the man's waist and held him still. "Quiet! Shh. You have to shut the hell up. Do you understand?"

The guy stopped struggling but he was panting wildly.

Bower wasn't sure if the man was coherent so he continued to reason, "I'm going to get you out of this, but you have to be quiet. Do you understand?"

Finally, the man nodded and seemed relieved.

He slowly let the man go.

The man dangled, slowly spinning, his arms and legs loose at his sides. He was weeping quietly. "I thought I was dead."

It took Bower a few minutes to find a small pair of wire-cutters to cut the line. As he cut it and the poor guy fell, Payton asked him, "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

The man, whose name tag said Shepard, crumpled to the floor in a heap. He was visibly exhausted and as he lay before him, Bower saw the bar code markings on his forearm. He was from Flight Team Six.

"Watch yourself." Payton warned.

"He's team six," Bower said, "Isn't that the unit that was supposed to follow us?"

"Yeah."

Shepard was watching him closely as Bower studied him. His eyes were still wild and he held his hands up in a defensive posture.

"Just calm down," Bower told him, "You're safe now and we need to stay quiet, okay? Do you hear me?"

Shepard stared at him and began to relax again. "Shepard, sir, team six. I thought you'd never get here." He was smiling at Bower but near tears. "I think I'm the only one left. I knew you'd come back. I just knew it."

"What?"

"Where's your squad?"

"Squad? This is my Lieutenant."

"Where's your shuttle?"

"Shuttle? What are you talking about?"

Shepard was getting annoyed. "You're the extraction crew, right?"

"No, no. I'm team five." Bower was concerned by how quickly this stranger's emotions had shifted from gratitude to impatience.

Shepard laughed bitterly. "You mean you just woke up?"

"Four or five hours ago."

"So you don't know what the fuck's going on?" He was nearly shouting now.

Bower kept his voice low, "That's what I'm saying."

"You know as much as me, man"

"I don't know anything."

Shepard's laugh was even more bitter but now it was spiked with sarcasm, "Well you're going to fit in perfectly around here." He went towards a wall faucet and pulled the ball valve open. Thick grease slowly seeped out into his cupped hands. He swiftly rubbed the grease all over himself like suntan lotion.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting the scent off."

"Scent?" If too much sleep was at the root of delusional behavior, this guy had slept a few hundred years too long.

"They can find you in different ways. Scent is one of them."

Bower remembered how grimy the strong woman had been. She had been coated with a thin layer of grease as well. "Yeah I ran into them once already. They were using sound waves to look for me I think."

"They're fast and stronger than you can imagine. If they come after you, you run. Just run and don't fucking look back." He stooped and retrieved a makeshift knife from the floor. He wound the wire tightly around it and his fist perhaps so he wouldn't drop it again. He was muttering to himself. "I can't wait for you."

"Who are they?"

"I can't help you."

"Help me? I just saved your ass."

Payton's voice crackled over the com, "Bower, you tell that asshole the chain of command and a direct order is being given."

"Listen, Private Shepard, you're still a member of this crew and your CO is ordering you-"

Shepard interrupted, "Ordering me? That's funny."

"He's the only officer we know of right now, that puts him in charge."

"You're late, pal. There's no fucking CO on this ship and there's no one in charge. Its every man for himself out here so you'd better finish waking up." Shepard turned and started moving away from him.

"Wait a minute!" Bower hurried after him.

_Tat, tat, tat, tat, tat._

Bower froze_._

Shepard began to whimper backing away from the sound.

The hunters' screams and hideous growls accompanied the echolocation.

Bower faced the unseen attackers and raised the riot gun.

"That's not going to save you." Shepard told him.

His matter of fact statement was enough to place some doubt towards Bower's plan. The snarls and roars filling the hall around him did their fair share of discouragement as well. The fear that gripped him was so profound that even if he tried to flee, he felt as though his legs would fail him. They felt wooden as he waited for the hunter's arrival.

Apparently, Payton could hear them too because there was fear in his voice, "Get out of there!"

Bower stood his ground. He wanted to see if he could take one of them out or at least try and get a look at them before he ran. There was a hollow feeling in his stomach, a sensation of having the butterfly's that was so strong it nearly doubled him over. His legs itched to flee.

He could hear the growling, the exciting screaming. They were calling to one another, signaling that they had found prey. They sounded ravenous.

_Tat, tat, tat, tat, tat._

"Get the hell out of there!"

Bower turned and ran after Shepard.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Mahn

With Shepard leading the way, Bower ran as fast as he could towards the housing containers and storage bays. Despite his effort, Shepard was leaving him behind. Didn't hanging from that trap for God-knows-how-long weaken the other man at all? He wondered if his own lack of strength was yet another side effect to his awakening from cryo-sleep. First the woman had left him behind in a foot race and now Shepard. He was obviously the weak link and unfortunately in nature, the weak were always segregated from the rest of the herd and preyed upon foremost.

The snarls and guttural moans echoed around him. The reverberation of the cries and his hammering footfalls left him in a jumble of sounds. He strained to hear how close his pursuers were behind him, but was having trouble judging the distance. Still, he could tell that the hunters were barreling down on the two of them faster than he hoped. Being caught and devoured seemed inevitable.

If he couldn't outrun them, maybe he could lose them and hide. He knew that in the massive storage bays there would plenty of places to ditch the hunters. It was his only chance.

Shepard disappeared through the towering bay doors and as Bower passed through them and into the dim warehouse, his spirits were raised at the site of the huge space and clustered stacks of full-sized storage containers that stretched nearly four stories below him. There were indeed countless hiding spots here, provided he could put a short distance between himself and the hunters.

The open bay was crisscrossed with suspended narrow grated walkways and stairwells that provided accessibility to the container doors on each level. Shepard dashed down the walkway that ran parallel to the length of the room. He leaped over a wide opening and continued on at full speed.

Bower's footfalls sounding like a sledgehammer crushing tin cans as he neared the opening and saw that it was wider than it looked. Not wanting to lose the time to try and climb down the ladder, Bower attempted to jump to the other side, like Shepard had, but failed miserably. He fell to the level below, his leg twisted and his shoulder jammed painfully as he tried to break his fall. He rolled onto his back and found that although sore he was not seriously injured.

He felt like an idiot. Breaking his leg right now would have spelled certain death. He also felt like a fucking loser. Before this mission, he had prided himself on physical training and had been in the best condition in his life. Now he was a slug: soft, gooey and slow.

Several hunters vaulted the opening overhead and continued in the direction Shepard had gone. Their roars were loud enough to drown out Bower's surprised gasp of fear. They had been closer in pursuit than he thought. By luck alone, they had not seen him fall and had passed right over him. For the second time since he had awakened, Bower felt that he had dodged a bullet.

On the level he had fallen, the shadows were deep so he was easily hidden. The hunters had quieted down some but he could still hear soft growls and muffled sounds of excitement further in the bay. He could see into the openness but decided to find a dark corner behind a couple of steel barrels, sit quietly and wait. If the hunters were intelligent, they would double back and begin searching more thoroughly so Bower found himself praying that his pursuers were utter buffoons.

As fast as the hunters had moved and as easily as they had cleared the jump, the weapon strapped to his arm now seemed fearfully inadequate. Thank God he had retreated instead of opting to stand his ground only minutes before. He might have incapacitated one with the first shot but would never have had time to reload. He would have certainly been killed.

A ruckus broke out from the darkness; someone was screaming and there were sounds of struggle. His eyes had adjusted to the darkness so Bower chanced moving from his hiding spot to see what was going on.

On a platform below him but all the way across the room from him, Shepard had been cornered by a hunter. The hunter was bleeding having been wounded several times by Shepard's blade. Relentless, it still pressed forward with its makeshift club. Shepard continued to fight, screaming for help. He managed to drive a good final thrust into the creature's throat but as he did, the thing smashed the club viciously against his elbow. It's dark blood poured over Shepard's ruined arm as it fell forward, mortally stricken.

Even at the distance he was watching, Bower could see that Shepard's arm looked disfigured, bent at impossible angles in several places. He thought about climbing out of his hiding space and trying to help.

Howling in pain, Shepard desperately tried to untie the secured knife from his useless limb but it was in vain. The rest of the hunters dropped onto the platform and fell upon him crying and shrieking in triumph. Biting, clawing, stabbing, cutting and bashing, Shepard was dead in seconds and his body collapsed. Bower could hear the tearing of flesh and the wet chewing of meat. He meant to avert his eyes but was astonished to see the hunters feasting on their felled companion as well.

_Oh God, cannibalism? For fuck's sake!_

It was bad enough that they were eating humans, but eating their own kind, to him, was even more despicable and intolerable. He tasted bile. The super snack he had eaten earlier was threatening to rebel against his stomach.

Within a few minutes, both kills were half-eaten and as if by some unspoken rule, the hunters stopped eating and began to collect the leftover pieces of the bodies. They slung the torn slabs of meat and bone over their shoulders and began to move away out of Bower's line of sight. Their movements were organized.

The fact that the hunters were showing signs of intelligence was very disconcerting. They were probably bringing the rest of the meat to their lair for their mates and offspring. Why couldn't they be mindless beasts that he could easily outsmart? Why did they have to show coordinated maneuvers and have the mindset to care for the rest of their kin?

The only pieces of the two victims left behind were the heads. Bower guessed they were inedible so the hunters had discarded them.

Just then, there was a noise behind him. He slowly turned and realized that a large hunter had joined him on the platform. Bower remained as still as possible praying the shadows were enough to conceal him but saw that the beast was looking right at him.

_Oh God, help me._

It was hunkered down and Bower could see how powerfully it was built. It had a vicious scar that ran from between its eyes down across its nose, or at least where its nose should have been. All that was left was a twin set of glistening, exposed nostrils.

It dropped the heavy wicked spear that it had been carrying to the grate at its feet.

Bower marveled at how the thing simultaneously looked so human but yet it was so inhuman as well. It was bald with scars decorating its hairless scalp. The skin was white, not pale like a Caucasian, but true white like bleached bone. The lifeless eyes were deep set with ruddy irises and yellow sclera**.** It wore armor made up of thin plates of dark leather spaced across its chest and over its arms and legs. On the shoulders it had heavier plates with fashioned spikes jutting out.

Slowly the creature rose to its full height. It was half a foot taller than he was.

_Oh Shit._

Inexplicably, Bower considered trying to speak to it. Maybe he could reason with it and talk his way out of being slaughtered like a lamb.

The scarred hunter's arms were at its sides. It was watching him as though it was expecting something. It thrust its barreled chest out.

Bower nearly pissed himself.

Studying Scarface, he realized it was daring him to fire the weapon at it. Through body language the hunter was saying, "Give me your best shot."

Scarface snorted as it saw Bower was starting to understand. It struck its chest with a massive fist and showed its teeth. "Come on," it gestured, "Hit me."

Bower knew that one shrill cry from Scarface would bring more hunters. It was deliberately keeping quiet, seeming to savor the possibility of a fight.

The vicious spear was still laying at its feet.

If he could stun it, he could kill it with its own spear.

Bower raised his arm, aiming the anti-riot weapon at it.

Scarface got excited. Was it nodding?

_Son of a bitch._

These hunters were smart, that was undeniable now. Bower wondered if they had a language. "I come in peace," he murmured to it and immediately regretted saying something so idiotic.

Scarface wasn't impressed.

Bower's voice seemed to agitate it. It showed more teeth, the excessively sharp incisors meant for tearing flesh and it furrowed its brow, growling. It struck itself again, harder this time. "Come on, fight!" is what Bower deciphered.

He shot it in the face.

The powerful pulse of energy struck Scarface and threw it backwards against the wall. It convulsed, twitching and jerking as the electricity surged through its body then fell face-first to the grating. He was going to retrieve it's spear and stab it in the heart while it was incapacitated but as he stepped closer, Scarface's hand shot out and wrested the spear from his grip. Slowly, it rose to its knees.

_Sweet Jesus!_

With the open bay behind him and the ladder beyond the creature, Bower was trapped.

If it was possible for the hunters to smile, Scarface was succeeding. In fact, it sounded like it was chuckling as well.

"Wait," Bower pleaded, "Please."

It leveled the spear at him, still grinning.

"At least let me have a weapon too," his voice sounded strong even though he was nearly scared stiff. "At least let me fight back, you fuck."

Suddenly a shadow swooped down from above and kicked the beast from the side. Scarface lost its balance and tumbled over the railing down to the grated walkway below.

Bower stared at his savior in surprise. He was a short and stocky Asian who wielding twin sword-like weapons and was wearing a hooded, black cloak. Bower could still make out the name tag on the uniform underneath the cloak: Mahn.

Bower had never wanted to hug another man so badly in his life.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Payton

Payton was furious.

Since Bower had been pursued by the hunters, Payton had lost communication with him and feared the worst. The Corporal had been Payton's link to the vastness outside of this room, this tight cell that filled him with dread. It wasn't claustrophobia that heckled his nerves. It was something deeper and more profound.

Ever since he and Bower had discussed their wives, Payton felt a tremor of emotion trickle over him. It wasn't a yearning that he felt, no tinge of guilt weighed down on him nor was it heartbreak. It was an acute anger, a fiery rage that frightened him because it overcame him so thoroughly and intensely. He wanted to smash the panels and monitors at the security station he was sitting. He wanted to cause harm, inflict injury and induce ruin. He felt so inexplicably enraged that striking himself, pulling out his own hair and clawing holes into his skin seemed the only way to sate his fury.

Payton shot out of his chair and began to pace in attempt to stave off his impulses. The worst thing about how he was feeling was the inability to recall what had incited this irrational anger. Had his wife been unfaithful? Had she hurt their children? Did they even have children? Did he even have a wife? The questions he had unfortunately bore no answers.

He glared around at the room he was in. He felt imprisoned rather than stranded.

When he had awaken from cryo-sleep, Payton had searched his locker. Nothing had stirred any memories. His uniforms, his dog tags, his personal items and toiletries seemed to be in order but all of them seemed mundane and unfamiliar. There had been no photos or letters from home. Certainly he had family to keep in contact with so why would he not keep things so dear? He had no wallet, no identification, no legal paperwork, no military orders and no personal clothing either. It was as though he had gone in with only the bare essentials when he entered cryo.

There was also the horrible fear that he was contending with.

Earlier, he had attempted to follow in Bowers' footsteps and enter the maintenance duct. When he reached up and let the hatch drop open, he had been gripped by a fear that took his breath away. He had collapsed in a terror, hugging himself and whimpering. The mere sight of the opened maintenance hatch was enough overloaded his emotions with a panic he had never felt before. What was worse was that he could not remember anything of why he was so terrified. The fear hadn't subsided until after he had closed the hatch.

Many unexplained problems had arisen and he had no answers for any of them.

He was still pacing and glancing around the room. He felt like a rat in a cage. Was it nervousness he was feeling? Stress? He wasn't sure.

The room was divided into two areas, the control room and the cryo room. Together, they were easily six hundred square feet and beyond the cryo pods was the massive locker room. He was hardly cramped yet he still felt like he was being squeezed.

The small control room had the basic computers, tracking systems and communication alarm systems. It was mainly for security purposes. He had a lock on Bowers' comm via tracking earlier and was following his movements on the schematics map of the ship. That was the link that had since been lost and so far, he had been unable to reconnect with Bower.

He had tried to open the door to the main security room because beyond it lay the main Bridge. The door was impassable. The portal jam was heavily scratched and warped as though someone had spent a lot of time trying to pry it open with various leverages. He had recognized the damage and remembered trying to pry the door open, but couldn't recall when he had done so.

Maddening.

While he paced, Payton became aware that he reeked with body odor. He had been so impatient to get a hold of someone, when he had first emerged, that he had ransacked his locker for uniforms and had immediately set out to get the security terminal up and running.

He became aware of the grimy feel of his skin, the stiffness of being unwashed in the soft areas of his body and the itchy scalp.

Maybe the locker room would feel less oppressive.

The mirror inside his locker door showed him a hell of a sight. He had remembered being youthful and energetic when he had first joined the mission. How old was he now? The mirror reflected an middle-aged, tired man that had seen too much suffering. Adversity was spelled out across his face with thin wrinkles. His hair was peppered with white around his ears and temple. His belly was a slight pooch. His hair was long and unkempt. His beard and mustache were overgrown and matted. He was hardly indicative of a Flight Officer.

Now he could chalk-up self-loathing with all of the other emotions he was being overrun with.

Maddening.

He showered, shaved and trimmed his hair. The hot shower, fragrant soap and shampoo was invigorating. The whole time while he was grooming himself, most of the negative feelings seemed to be washed away with the rest of the filth. The fresh uniform and the sensation of his scrubbed skin and clean cut hair was a nice change. By the time he arrived back at the terminal, he felt a lot better. He was focused again, ready to guide the Corporal through the ship and to the engine room where he would have access to the reactor.

He began to relay over the comm: "This is First Lieutenant Payton, if anyone can read me, please respond." He spend a few minutes keying the same message over and over again. While he waiting for a response, his mind began to drift to the same negative thoughts.

He could feel the anger welling deep from within like a geyser of hot fury ready to burst forth.

_Think!_

Payton knew instinctively that he needed to retrace his steps from where he could recall. The last thing he could remember was being trapped in the storage control room. He remembered the feelings of being a prisoner, of being so bored and alone. Despite the vivid recollection of being stranded, Payton could not recall anything before or after being trapped.

Suddenly, he remembered getting lost in the maintenance shaft.

He had locked himself in the storage area control center because it was the safest place to be at the time. He couldn't recall why he was safer in such a small office but he recalled that he had a great view of the warehouse and that gave him an advantage over the others that were awake at the time.

Had there been a mutiny? A virus outbreak? He was unsure.

The control center had proved a good safe house. There was water, he had a large supply of food, even a bunk and in the restroom there was a shower. He couldn't remember how long he had been barricaded inside but the boredom had been too much to cope with. One could only play solitaire so many times on the computer before becoming sick of it. He must have been there a very long time because he had become so desperate that he had risked the maintenance shafts.

Why hadn't he just exited the control room by the main door? Had the others been that dangerous? They had to have been.

The maintenance shafts had been a nightmare. Shortly after entering he had gotten turned around because of a fall and could not find his way back to the control center. He had been trapped in endless and almost complete darkness after his flashlight batteries had died and his light sticks had been used up. He could still feel the coldness of the passages around him, the hunger that he suffered and the feelings of destitute he had endured. Knowing he could make a misstep and die a horrible death, he felt his way along like a blind man probably traveling in circles because he had no method of navigation. For weeks he crawled along the tunnels until passing out from exhaustion and then he would wake up with his whole body aching. He would spend hours crying and screaming for help. After his water ran out, he had finally given up. He would lay for what to him seemed like days just awaiting death but every time he would pass out, he would somehow wake up still breathing. It had seemed that even death had abandoned him.

One day he was in so much pain he couldn't wait to die any longer. Not caring if he fell, he had stood up on shaky legs and began to trot down the passage. He closed his eyes, knowing that he could fall down a vertical shaft at any moment, welcoming the trip to end his miserable existence.

He did fall but it was a short plunge right through the very hatch that had terrified him earlier. Now he understood why he was so scared of it. He remembered finding and gorging himself on the super snacks and bottled water. He could recall prying at the security door, trying to gain access to the main bridge. He could also remember programming the cryopod and entering it. Everything else was a total blank but at least he was starting to regain some of his memories.

It was imperative that he figure out why he had retreated into the control room. He must have gone into the computer system and locked the door electronically. Then he somehow triggered the emergency alarm system in order for the door to stay locked. It was the only way he could think of that would prevent the others from entering all that time.

The main thing that was bothering him was, if he had traveled to this area via the maintenance tunnels and had accidentally fallen through the hatch, why was his locker and cryopod here? The odds of him randomly ending up in his own service area when the vessel was this large was nearly impossible.

He knew that cryo-sleep could affect memory, but only after extended hibernation like a decade or longer.

Also, where had the others gone? Had they re-entered their cryopods as he had? Did they perish in the sealed storage area? Perhaps they had tried the same tunnels and had lost their lives there.

Maddening.

Payton was furious.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Changes

Bower could hardly believe that he was saved and was amazed at how the diminutive Asian man was able to kick the hunter over the railing. Now there was an escape route.

Scarface stared at the stocky newcomer in disbelief. The hatred in its gaze was so radiant that Bower wouldn't be shocked if he was burned by the heat emanating from it. There was a familiar recognition. These two combatants had crossed paths before and had a long history together. Bower thought he was going to need a black and white striped shirt to referee the horrendous fight that was seconds from breaking out.

The stocky man gestured to himself with one of the blades and said simply, "Manh". Bower couldn't tell if he was talking to him or Scarface.

If looks could kill, Manh would have died a dozen times by then. Scarface threw his head back and unleashed a deafening shriek. Immediately, Bower could hear more of the hunters responding with calls of their own.

More of them would be there soon.

Manh said, "Run."

Bower took a few steps away from Scarface.

Scarface started up the stairs, the horrible spear pointed at Manh.

"Run!"

Bower turned to run.

He saw it in slow motion: the awful speed and strength of which Scarface attacked Manh. Incredibly, Manh parried the thrust aimed at his heart and spinning, kicked Scarface again and knocked him backwards. The brute tumbled down the steps roaring with rage.

Manh then chased after Bower.

Bower was nearing the bay doors to exit the storage area but he heard Manh yell to him to go left so he ducked into what appeared to be a narrow hall. Manh stepped inside and cut the control panel with one of his swords and the door sealed behind them.

Bower felt like dancing... but he restrained himself.

"I'm Corporal Bower. I'm glad to meet you." He realized he was rambling but he couldn't help himself, "Never been so happy to see another human being in all my life. I don't know how I can ever thank you. You saved my ass back there."

"You can thank me by getting us to the bridge." He spoke with a thick Vietnamese accent and his voice was soft.

"We can't get to the bridge until we restore the power."

"You know how to restore the power?"

"Yeah."

"Then we can get to the bridge?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Let us go."

"I was on my way to the engine room. We have to reset the reactor to restore power."

"Okay. Let us go."

Bower felt like a dick. "Do you know how to get to the engine room?"

Manh shifted his weight. "I am an agricultural specialist. A botanist and a professional gardener with experience growing crops in extreme climates. Out in the wild, I can find just about any herb or edible plant we would ever need. On this ship I have no clue where to find much of anything."

"I was afraid of that. I was headed aft."

Manh nodded, "That sounds right, maybe on the lower levels?"

"Yeah." Bower told him. Seeing him in the black cloak, Bower realized that this man was the one he had seen earlier. The black cloak had made it look like a mere shadow following him up the stairwell. So he hadn't been seeing things. Manh had been tailing him this whole time.

With deep regret, Bower realized that he had gotten turned around and wasn't sure which direction the rear of the ship was. They were going to get lost. They were going to need Payton's guidance or someone who was familiar with that part of the ship to guide them.

Manh shifted his weight again. Perhaps he was also aware that blindly wandering around the ship was very risky.

"I've been in contact with my Lieutenant but I lost him when those fucking things chased me." Bower informed him. "I think we should keep moving and try to reestablish contact. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me. If we keep down this hall it will lead us to the second storage bay."

Bower lead the way. "So, how long have you been awake?"

"I am not sure. A few years I think."

"Are you shitting me?"

Manh chuckled. "No, really. At least a couple of years."

"So that's why Scarface recognized you."

Manh laughed harder. "Yeah. He and I go way back."

Now Bower laughed too. It felt good to laugh. He had forgotten that. "You must have kicked his ass numerous times over the years to still be alive."

"I am the one that took his nose off."

"Nice! Its unbelievable that you can fight them so equally. I mean, to me they seem so much faster and stronger than I am."

"The change will come in time for you too."

Bower stopped walking and faced Manh. "What do you mean?"

"The change, my friend. You will mutate to adapt to your environment here due to the enzyme that was given to us in our feeding tubes. It was designed to accelerate evolution so that our bodies could adapt to living conditions on Pandorum."

"You mean you've adapted to fight these things?"

"Well to me, they just seem to gradually get slower and weaker over time. But after I thought about it, I realized that I had become stronger and faster. I can see better in the darkness and I heal a lot faster if they manage to wound me."

Bower saw deep, jagged scars on the man's arms and one on his face.

"Holy shit." No wonder everyone was so much faster and stronger than he was. Now he didn't feel so embarrassed about getting his ass kicked by a woman. She was practically a super mutant. He also took notice that he didn't need to turn on his flashlight as much. Perhaps his eyes were already adapting to the darkness.

"I am not the only one that has survived around here," Manh continued in his soft slow voice. "I see a woman but she will not let me approach her and I do not want to be at the end of her spear."

Bower continued down the hallway. "Yeah I ran into her myself."

"You should really take your boots off, my friend. They make too much noise. You need softer footwear."

"Okay."

"Throw away your flashlight. They can see it a mile away."

Bower tossed the flashlight aside. "No problem."

"We need to get you different clothing. The grease will mask your scent better if you were not in coveralls."

"Okay."

"We will get you a better weapon. We have got to kill them, not stun them, you know?"

"Sure."

"Melee weapons are better suited because of the physical enhancements you are going to get from the enzymes, my friend."

"I get that. This was the closest thing handy." The anti-riot nonlethal firearm seemed like a toy now that Bower had seen what an enzyme fueled person was capable of. "How long will the change take?"

"The full effects take a few months but you will notice slight improvements within a few hours of awakening. I guess you would need fast acting mutation to adapt quickly to the foreign climate, you know?"

"Sure."

The hallway opened up into another huge bay and Bower couldn't help but worry that the hunters had head them off. The dark peace of the massive area set his mind at ease. The main doors must have been sealed through the power shortage between the massive bays.

There were several white containers on his level that were unlocked. These were housing containers that held the household items, clothing and furniture for colonization on Pandorum. Even though he knew they were most likely ransacked of anything useful, he opened one. Just as he expected, it looked like a rat's nest. There were opened packages, empty water bottles, broken glass, torn fabric, dirty clothing and other trash. Bower rifled around through the debris and only found a candle that was usable but it was nearly spent so he dropped it back onto the pile.

He moved thru the container towards the other end and pushed the doors open. It was a drop off. He was startled at how high he was and his surprise nearly caused him to lose his balance. He windmilled his arms so he wouldn't fall, feeling like a complete idiot. He regained his balance and looked back to see if Manh was laughing at him.

Mahn wasn't there.

_What the hell? Where did he go?_

He hadn't been paying attention to the other man. When had he lost track of him? Had he rummaged through the container alone? How could he have not noticed that Manh wasn't with him until now?

He heard a slight noise and turned back forward to see someone swinging down at him from the top of the opened doors. He tried to duck but got kicked square in the face. When he landed flat on his back, the wind was knocked from his lungs. His attacker let go of the edge and landed deftly to her feet, crouched low to the ground. She pulled a long, fierce spear-weapon from her back and pointed it at him.

It was the woman.

This time she had a spear.

This time, she wasn't running.

He froze, knowing that if he made any sudden moves, it could incite an attack and her spear looked really sharp.

She was glaring at him. There was a wild look in her eye. It wasn't anger. It was sheer terror. Impossibly, she was terrified of him, so terrified that she was willing to kill. He could see the cold emptiness of her visage, devoid of guilt or remorse.

"Wait," He wheezed, "Listen to me."

She spoke through gritted teeth, "Shut your mouth."

"Look," he pulled the anti riot gun from his arm and set it on the floor, "No weapons, I don't want to fight." He raised his arms in surrender and coughed. "I just wanna talk."

"I said, shut up!"

"We're all in this together, we all want to live through this. I won't hurt you."

"LIAR!" She lunged forward and he heard a metallic clang as Manh came out of nowhere and kicked the spear out of her grip. The little man set his feet and kicked at her head. She ducked under the kick and tackled him around the waist. As they were crashing to the floor locked together, Manh managed got both feet against her abdomen and as they fell, he used the momentum to lift her up with his legs and tossed her over his head. Normally, she should have face planted into the deck but she did a handstand and nimbly flipped onto her feet.

Bower remained on the floor motionless like a possum playing dead.

The two warriors faced each other again. She withdrew a long knife-weapon from her waist band and Manh drew his swords. There wasn't a lot of room in the container but neither of them seemed hindered by the tightness of space.

Fearlessly, she came forward and stabbed at Manh but he parried it with one sword and sliced at her head with the other. She ducked under it. Their speed and strength was unbelievable. Moving low, she kicked at his ankles with the heel of her foot but Manh sprang backwards avoiding the attack. It had been a feign because as Manh withdrew, she dropped the knife and took up her spear again.

Mahn cursed her in Vietnamese. Although Bower couldn't understand what he said, universal wisdom and the tone of which Manh spit it out told him it was something vile.

She cursed him vehemently in German and what she had to say didn't sound very nice either.

Bower fired the anti riot weapon at the ceiling of the small container. The whole thing shook and lighting panels fell down on their heads. Manh and the woman both covered their heads from the debris. "I understand," Bower told them calmly, "I do. I understand that its felt like every man for himself but if we're going to get out of this, a little fucking solidarity goes a long way." He stood behind Manh who still had his swords trained on her.

"I do not think she cares, my friend. I think she is too far gone."

"We all want to survive, right?" Bower asked to her softly. " I lost contact with my CO. So, I need someone to tell me how to get to the reactor."

Her expression soften slightly.

"You know?" Bower asked, "That's great. We can all work together."

"We should find it ourselves." Manh's voice was uncharacteristically flat.

"It could take us weeks to find it that way."

_Tat, tat, tat, tat, tat!_

"We need to get going." Manh seemed more concerned with the woman than the approaching hunters.

"Aw great."

Shrieking.

"I think aft is that way."

He didn't want to leave her but obviously she didn't need his help since she had survived this long without help. "Let's go." Manh lead the way so Bower lingered behind for a few moments watching her. She didn't move. Oh well.

He hurried after Manh.

They went into another network of narrow hallways, the main one terminated into a heavy door. It was closed by twin panels that fitted together in the center. This type of door was much easier to pry open than the single panel bottom fitted doors.

"She was tough." Manh said softly.

"Yeah."

Bower checked to see if the door had power but, of course, it didn't.

"When she tackled me, I think she bruised my ribs."

"Yeah well, no sympathy here, pal. She left me with a few sore spots too."

Manh was wedging one of his swords into the jam to pry the door opened and Bower got ready to pull on the the other side, when they heard a voice-

"Why the hell should I trust you?"

-and both of them spun towards it defensively. It was her. She had put her weapons away.

"Listen, Lady, we don't want any-"

"Are you really part of the flight crew?"

"I'm Corporal Bower, ship's mechanical engineer."

"I'm Nadia." She moved closer. Again, he was taken in by her beauty albeit the filthy clothes and greased skin and hair. She was staring so intently into his eyes, he was tempted to look away like he had back in grade school when girls made him feel goofy. She spoke softer to him sounding relieved, "I didn't think there was any flight crew left. What's happened to us?"

"A malfunction of some sort."

She made a sarcastic noise, "You think?" She continued watching him closely. Her tone was cold again, "What's your plan?"

"Fire up the reactor. Go from there."

"You just wake up?"

"Yep, just joined the party."

"You'll never make it."

"Why's that?"

"You're going in the wrong direction."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Nadia

Nadia headed the opposite direction along the same passage. At first, Bower had thought the hallways here were narrow but actually they weren't. Empty storage containers were stored in the adjoining passages from the storage area. They were lined up along the walls and that's what was making the halls seem so constricted.

"You're taking us to the reactor? I need you to show me the way." Bower called after her.

"To the reactor? I don't like going that far down."

"Why not?"

Nadia stopped and turned solemnly towards both men. "No one who goes in that direction ever comes back."

Manh and Bower exchanged looks. "Well, we're going to have to risk it." Bower said.

"Fuck that."

"We don't have much time," Bower insisted, "We could lose everyone on board, do you understand?"

"Can you fly it?"

Bower hesitated.

"Can you fly the ship?" she asked again, her voice silken. "Could you land it if you had to?"

"Yeah."

She stared at him for a few moments again. Then she told them, "Follow me."

Bower wanted to know more about her. Even though he had known Manh a little longer, he was infatuated with Nadia. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so moved by a woman. There was just something about her that had roused him on a deep level. He wanted to know everything about her no matter how insignificant it might be.

She lead them at a brisk pace.

The formation of the walls and ceiling structures were changing. Were they heading toward the infirmary wing? She quickly turned down a few corridors, getting Bower a little confused. He doubted if he could find his way back on his own. He was just going to have to trust her.

These passages were darker and warmer than any others he had seen so far. The humidity was soupy making him sweat in areas of his body he normally didn't. He looked at Manh who was busy keeping an eye out behind them as they traveled. The stocky man seemed okay with where she was taking them and that made Bower feel better.

"How long have you been awake?" He asked her.

"Too long." Manh muttered from behind him.

"I don't know for sure," she whispered, "it's impossible to tell time. Five, maybe six months."

"Months? Wow."

"You have been awake long enough to be able to tell us from the monsters." Manh told her quietly.

Nadia stopped again and turned. She locked eyes with Manh.

"There was no reason for you to attack us." Manh continued in his thick accent.

"You don't know anything about me!" she spat coldly.

"You would have killed Bower. How many other people have you killed, Nu?"

"Fuck you!"

Bower tried to interject, "This isn't getting us anywhere, Mahn."

"Then why did she attack us?"

There was that look of stark terror again. She stammered. "I wasn't sure-"

"You could tell we were just passing through," Manh insisted.

"I didn't know what you intended and you weren't just passing through. He was looking for something." She hissed, jamming a finger in Bower's face.

"I have seen you before and you have seen me."

"I've always avoided you but I was never afraid. I respected you."

"Then why attack my companion?"

"Manh, come on-" Bower pleaded.

"I felt threatened. You don't know anything about me," she cried.

"I want to know if we can trust her or not, my friend. She was going to kill you. Maybe her pretty face is enough to make you forget that but its not enough to convince me."

Bower waited for Nadia to respond.

She looked stricken but then composed herself. She tried to speak but her voice cracked so she cleared her throat and waited before trying again. Finally, she looked resolved and determined to explain her actions to them. As she began to whisper the words, she stared at the floor deep in thought and thinking carefully about what she was saying. "I went to school back home with every member of my team. We had grown up together. When I woke up most of them were already gone." Her words drifted off. She was staring at the floor, lost in thought.

"What happened?" Bower asked softly.

"There was one of the team who had been trying to salvage the lab wing as much as he could. He was a dear friend of mine. After I woke up he had focused all of his attention on me. It was strange behavior. I didn't understand what he was thinking. I kept urging him to find a way to open the main door so we could get out. It was the only way we could learn what had happened to us but he seemed content to stay in our isolated lab. We argued about it constantly."

"He wouldn't listen to you?"

"He attacked me."

"Attacked you?"

"Hit me over the head from behind. Knocked me out." Her voice cracked and again she cleared her throat.

"Oh my God."

Manh listened quietly.

"He beat me and trapped me in a closet against my will. He wanted a sex slave." She was burning with ferocity, visibly trembling with mixed emotions.

He could see the impassive survivalist surfacing again within her as her eyes went emotionless and cold. He felt sick. He wanted to hold her, but he was afraid she'd knife him if he tried.

They waited patiently for her to continue.

"He would visit me several times each day to use me and if I refused he would beat me until I surrendered. I fashioned a knife out of a steel shelf rack that was inside the closet with me. The next time he opened the door I put the knife in his ear."

Bower wanted to comfort her. "I don't know what to say."

"I have trouble trusting men after what happened." She was glaring at Manh.

"He was a coward, Nu. We are not." Manh said.

"I'd known him for over half my life," her voice wavered, "how could he do that to me?"

"He was only thinking of himself," Bower told her. "It wasn't anything you could have predicted or prevented. He took advantage of your trust-"

He could see she was straining not to cry.

"-but hey, we won't."

"If I was interested in hurting you, we would have fought many times by now, Nu. Every time we would run into each other, I would be amazed that you had managed to survive along with me. We have a mutual respect, you and I." He smiled at her. He had a warm smile.

"It wasn't you I was frightened of." Nadia murmured.

_Well, shit._

With his soft, soothing voice, Manh continued, "It feels good, no? Does it not feel good to be among others after being alone for so long? Do you not feel better being able to talk to others about what happened and rely on others so that nothing like that ever happens again?"

She nodded. A few minutes went by as they absorbed the importance of the conversation and the bonding that had taken place. Though on the verge, Nadia didn't cry.

She sounded remorseful. "I'm sorry I tried to kill you."

"You should be saying that to my friend, Nu. Not to me."

Nadia muttered an apology to Bower and continued leading the way.

They followed her. Bower was burning with questions but he decided to wait for a better place to ask. He was also curious about Manh as well since he had shown such insight and patience. He had thought that Manh was around the same age as he and Nadia but now he was convinced that he was a little older.

Further down the hall, there must have been a cracked water pipe overhead or something because water was dripping down on them. It was steamy with limited visibility and the dripping water made it difficult for them to hear.

Nadia strode over to a large white door and placed her hand on a palm scanner.

With perfect timing, far off in the distance they heard _tat, tat, tat, tat, tat._

_Great._

"What are we doing?" Bower asked her.

"We are waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"Shhhh." she hissed.

"There is a half dozen hunters headed right for us," Manh murmured to him. He was facing the direction the sound had come from.

"Hey, we have to go." Bower told her.

"Trust me." she hissed again.

They could hear distance calls and roaring from far down the halls. They seemed to be getting closer. The calls and shrieks were also coming from different directions. They were methodically being surrounded.

"This hallway is narrow," Mahn told her calmly, "I can hold a few of them here if you need more time, Nu."

Bower was incredulous, "What is this? Custer's last stand?"

Nadia was adamant. "You want to get to the reactor? Then trust me."

The hunters were even closer. After just a few seconds, they could hear their footfalls.

"We have to go now!"

"Trust me."

Triumphant shrieking. They had been found.

"For fuck's sake!"

"Wait."

"We gotta go now, right now!" At the end of the long hall, Bower could see a hunter crawling along the floor on all fours like a dog. It was fast. Terribly fast. He raised his anti riot gun at it over Manh's shoulder.

There was another monster down the intersecting hall where they had come from. It was sprinting full bore at them.

Bower was about to pass out.

Manh seemed thrilled. He drew both swords and stood his ground.

_You crazy bastard!_

Whatever Nadia was planning to do she only had seconds to do it because now they were trapped and had no choice but to fight.

The ship began to rumble. It was another energy purge as the reactor tried to reset itself.

The door panel came to life. Nadia's palm was scanned and below her forearm tattoo was also scanned by a separate scanner at the same time.

A hunter dropped down a few feet in front of them from an overhead vent and Bower shot it. The blast threw the screaming and writhing hunter away from them just as Nadia got the door opened.

They went through the door into a brightly lit and sanitized hallway. This was a lab or a hospital and this long passage was probably an enclosed bridge to the central office.

The heavy door closed before the shrieking hunters could reach it.

Bower breathed a sigh of relief. "What the hell are they?" he asked her.

"I have my suspicions but I never felt like sticking around to confirm," Nadia said over her shoulder. She strode briskly into the main chamber and it was indeed a observational lab center. "Running was always the best option."

"They can't be from this ship." he said to Manh.

The stocky man shrugged at him.

The large windows showed an expansive room that filled with rows and rows of storage tanks and bins. Since the lab was suspended from the ceiling, the huge room seemed to encircle them but it gave them a clear view of everywhere within the storage facility. All of the storage units were meticulously categorized, all of them were numbered. Inside the bright lab, everything was white and he saw computers, bookshelves, closets of scrubs, lab coats, lab equipment and monitors. It was quite impressive.

"What is all this?" Bower asked her.

"Ecological development. This is an embryonic charter, livestock and wildlife re-population."

"You live here? You've been protecting all this?"

"To us it seemed worth protecting."

"Us? How many of you were there originally?" he immediately regretted his question because it might get her thinking of the team member that kept her hostage.

"There were seven of us total. When I woke up there were only two of us left and that story didn't have a very happy ending. I was part of the Brandenburg Institute's genetic sampling team. We spent seven years collecting and preserving the Earth's biosphere. There was no way I was going to let any of those things in here."

"There is a similar containment unit in the agriculture wing, Nu. All the genetic plant and algae material from Earth ranging from seaweed to crops." Manh told her. "It is still intact but about twenty percent of our specimens have been lost."

"Why do you call me Nu?" She asked. "What does it mean?"

Manh smiled at her a sheepishly. "I am sorry. It means girl. Does it bother you?"

Nadia flashed a smile back and Bower nearly swooned. What a lovely, brilliant smile she had despite all of the grime. "No, I don't mind. I was just curious." Her smile vanished as quickly as it appeared.

Bower looked back out at the massive containment room. It was mind-blowing what her team had accomplished here. They could introduce indigenous farm animals on Pandorum. After a few years it would be like they never left home.

Nadia joined him at the windows. "I volunteered because this truly is Noah's ark. This archive holds the world in which we are going to live. We've lost around thirty percent of the specimens here. The lab has its own generator but without the reactor working, I don't know if they'll ever make it to Pandorum."

"When I first woke up I couldn't remember how far away Pandorum was. Now I know it was a one hundred and twenty-three year journey so we have to reset the reactor at all costs." Bower told her.

"You're lucky," she said, "It took me months to remember that much." She threw a few switches and detached the enclosed bridge that lead to the door they had entered through. The bridges extended to the top levels of the massive storage facility and terminated where all the doors were. The only way to get out was to rotate the observation center to line up with whatever bridge and corresponding door you wanted to use. "It took me even longer to get that goddamn door opened. My memories come back in pieces. I know everything about this vault and its systems but I still can't remember where I grew up or my brother's name."

"I can not even remember where I slept last night." Manh announced.

They shared a light chuckle.

Nadia set out bottled water for them to drink.

Bower took a few super snacks from his cargo pocket and offered one to the others. With unrehearsed timing, they simultaneously prepared themselves. Then, in unison, they tossed it into their mouths, chewed and swallowed it as quickly as possible washing the nasty morsel down with the bottled water and matching grimaces.

Bower fought against the urge to cough. "How could we get like this in only eight years?"

"This ship was built to outlast our children's children. I think we've been asleep longer than you think."

"I do too." Manh quickly agreed with her. " I have my own ideas on where the hunters came from as well."

"Really?" Bower was interested.

"I think it was the accelerator."

"The what?" Bower asked.

"The enzymes fed to us through the feeding tubes during cryogenic sleep." Nadia clarified. "I've thought about that possibility too."

"Which possibility?" Bower still wasn't following their conversation.

"It would take quite a long time for the accelerator to cause such a massive genetic shift but it is not impossible." Manh said to them. "Especially if we are right about being asleep a lot longer than initially planned."

"Also, the levels of accelerator intake could be increased by the ingestion of saturated flesh."

Manh nodded to her, "That could be enough of a catalyst to trigger such a complete mutation."

Bower was looking back and forth at them.

Nadia continued as Manh left off, "The number of chromosomal similarities are stunning. They're nearly a perfect match give or take a couple of DNA strands."

"Exactly," Manh agreed. "Genetically speaking, they can not be too far off."

Bower slowly began to understand what they were saying and he didn't like where this conversation was ending up. "You mean to tell me," he said slowly, "That these things are altered humans? That they were once passengers like us and after years of cannibalism and multiple adaptions they transformed into these monsters?"

"It is a good possibility, my friend."

"Holy shit."

"Exactly."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Memories

Intermittently between using the com system to contact Bower, Payton was searching the computer archives for anything useful. Since there was no constant power, the computers were running in safe mode because of the temporarily generated energy source, so only the most necessary of programs were available at the security terminal. That meant that there was no search engine available so he was forced to search the countless files one by one manually. He felt as though his head was going to explode.

The thoughts and bobbing memories surfacing in his mind were driving him crazy. This banal task would at least keep his mind focused and prevent his thoughts from drifting too far. The last thing he wanted was another panic attack. Worse case scenario, he'd discover that he was afraid of the toilet or something.

The partial recollections that he had recovered so far made him anxious to find out more about what he had forgotten. Inexplicably, he somehow sensed that the most important things he had forgotten transpired aboard the ship and he was determined to find something that might jar another memory loose. If he could recover his memory in full then these pieces and bits of recollection would all make sense– or at least he hoped they would.

He noticed a file on security footage from the security cameras and started to search for the cameras from Storage Area he was trapped in and– there it was. Excellent, now to find what day he was looking for– and he had to stop. He had no idea what the date was. Not just the date from when he barricaded himself in the control center but now since he had awakened. Unbelievably, there was no date registered on the computer terminal either. He thought that was standard for all computers to have an internal clock and calender. Perhaps the operating system had deemed the calender unnecessary and had disabled it temporarily.

Maddening.

Whatever the reason, he knew searching this footage archive was going to be unfruitful. Every file had hours and hours of mindless footage. The security cameras were motion sensing, so they only recorded when they sensed movement but still, to search through possibly years of daily footage would take forever. He was about to give up when he noticed a different folder in this directory. It was labeled: For Gallo.

Gallo.

That name was familiar but he couldn't place who it was.

Opening the folder showed him that there were four individual files from the main directory that were labeled in order. One was labeled The Beginning, the second was Experiments, next was Results and finally The End.

When he opened The Beginning, he saw that it was packed with document files as though someone had been keeping daily logs. No dates marked these documents either. He clicked the log at the top of the list and it was from a man Gallo. He was ranting about being lied to and that the rest of his crew was trying to kill him.

As Payton read through a few more logs, it was clear the unfortunate man was insane. His written rantings became more and more emotional and incoherent. Gallo wrote that the Earth was gone and that the crew aboard the Elysium was all that was left of mankind. He went as far as to make claims that the crew were monsters that were trying to eat him. Payton stopped reading for a few minutes to ponder because of what Bower had reported seeing. Hadn't he described monsters that were eating humans? Payton had all but chalked up that conversation to deep sleep side effects but now he was not so sure.

The next few logs were detailed instructions by Gallo on how he had corrupted files, deleted computer data and had crippled the ship through computer hacking. Payton was stunned.

The daily logs had drifted from the ravings of a madman to the dictation of a calculated saboteur.

The cryo-sleep rotation had been purposely interrupted and dispersed randomly throughout the ship. The life support systems had been set at such low settings that life was barely possible. Most of the lighting systems and security systems had been deactivated. The armory had been locked down and the main computer system had been hijacked.

_Son of a bitch!_

Now he knew why everything was haywire. It wasn't a malfunction, it was subversion.

Who in the hell was this Gallo? It would have taken an expert to infiltrate the vast computer system and countless hours of uninterrupted devotion to accomplish such a feat as sabotaging a ship and its systems especially one as large and intricate as the Elysium. Somehow, the perpetrator had been successful.

He needed to get a hold of Bower and fast. "This is First Lieutenant Payton, if anyone can read me, please respond." Still no answer. "Bower, you read? Bower?"

Payton decided to go back to the main window of the file. The next individual security files was labeled Experiments. When he clicked open Experiments, he saw footage of himself just his face and shoulders. He was using one of the computer cameras, facing and talking to it like he was recording a diary or something similar. He couldn't hear what he was saying. No volume? He checked the computer speakers and saw that they weren't activated. Apparently, the operating system didn't think that sound was very important either.

Maddening.

Turning his attention back to the footage, he realized how much younger he looked in the video. He could see an unshaven, exhausted and haggard version of himself. As beat up as he looked in the footage, he was undeniably younger. How much younger though, over ten years? His heart sunk. Could it really have been that long? They weren't supposed to have been underway for ten years yet. There was no way it was possible. Maybe it was the footage. Truly, it was poor quality resolution, so definite details of his face were difficult to identify. Even so, he was clearly a lot younger.

How was this possible? Had they been in deep space longer than the estimated eight years? Without the computer system being online it was impossible to tell. He couldn't even tell if the ship was still on course without being able to get to the Main Bridge.

There was a cold wet lump of trepidation in Payton's gut.

The On-screen-Payton stopped talking and aimed the camera away from himself and zeroed it in on something suspended from the ceiling crane in the middle of the warehouse then zoomed in. The camera's resolution was even worse at a further distance but he could still see enough to tell what it was that was hanging.

His stomach turned and he tasted bile when he saw that it was a dead person clutched within the jaws of the crane. On-screen-Payton lowered the crane slowly and kept the camera zoomed in and panning with the body as it descended. As it neared the top level of the storage area, closest to the ceiling, he saw people run from the shadows of the bay like roaches, gathering underneath the hanging corpse, leaping up to get at it. These people were wearing almost no clothing, they were pale and sickly.

Shocked, Payton put both hands over his open mouth.

The first of the sickies caught hold of the dangling corpse's feet and hoisting itself up, began to chew the foot off. It fell and ran off with its prize held close to its chest as others tried to wrest it away.

Payton moved his hands from his mouth to his eyes but left narrow slits in his fingers so that he could continue the viewing in feign protest.

A heavy sickie, possibly pregnant, grasped one of the legs and it fell away from the rest of the corpse due to being in the advanced stages of decay. The crowd fell upon the leg, ripping and tearing off pieces of flesh with their teeth. They fought with one another over the leg meat because the On-screen-Payton had raised the main corpse out of reach. It was as though he were toying with them, feeding them slowly so that they were worked into a feeding frenzy.

He paused the tape.

Payton felt like he was going to throw up. He fast-forwarded the tape for several minutes and could see that the toying went on until more of the sickies showed up and feasted until the entire corpse was consumed. He played the tape at normal speed to watch himself slowly lowering the crane's jaws towards a pile of feeding sickies and he dropped it in and caught one pulling it out of the crowd while it writhed and twitched. The rest of them continued to feed, oblivious to the plight of their companion. On-screen-Payton raised the crane to the highest point where it had been at the start and then re-focused the camera back onto himself.

_My God._

He had no recollection of feeding these things back to themselves. The idea of allowing a living being, regardless of how degenerated it was, to hang until it was dead then feeding it back to its own was horrible. It was deplorable, inhuman behavior that he had done.

Payton was ashamed that he had performed such heinous crimes. If he hadn't watched it with his own eyes, he would have never believed it. Thank God no one else had viewed these recordings. Whoever had left this for Gallo, was aware of his crimes but perhaps Gallo hadn't seen the tapes yet. Payton found himself wishing that the person who had taken the time to separate out these particular recordings had met an untimely death. He felt terrible at wishing harm on a fellow human being but the fact of the matter was, if anyone else aboard the ship found these tapes, he was as good as dead or imprisoned for the rest of his life.

_What am I supposed to do?_

Perhaps there was a logical explanation. Maybe temporary insanity? Perhaps he had an identical twin that he had forgotten about due to cryo-sleep?

Could these sickly beasts have caused such an affront to him that his vengeance was substantiated? Impossible. He was a wretch; a horrible and lowly human. Regardless of what wrong he had suffered, nothing, absolutely nothing excused his behavior.

He realized that he was going to have to keep this information secret until he could remember more details or at least explain his actions to his command.

Maddening.

Payton wondered what other horrors awaited him in the two folders he had yet to open: Results and The End. When he had first discovered the file marked For Gallo he had been intrigued. Now, he was a mess with fear and worry. The two unexplored files seemed to be tempting him, taunting him.

_What am I supposed to do?_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Death

When Nadia had finally agreed to lead them to the reactor, Bower had been ecstatic, but after he stepped into the cryopod personnel chamber, he lost most of his energy. This vast chamber was a multiple tiered room. Each tier had narrow stairs leading to the other tiers and each tier was in a semicircle rowed with countless cryopods. It was dark, dank and quiet.

"What are we doing here?" Bower asked.

Nadia sounded irritable, "Do you want to get to the reactor or not?"

"This is the only way?"

"It's the only safe way."

"You mean safer?" Manh chimed in.

"Yes. I mean it's safer than the other ways."

Bower looked forlornly at how high the cryopods were stacked and how tightly knit they were to each other, "How can this be safer?"

"Don't slow me down." Nadia warned.

Bower couldn't help but to look inside some of the closest pods to him. "Most of these are empty," he said softly, "Where the hell is everyone?"

"This is their main hunting ground," Nadia told him, "Keep moving."

The images of the lovely blond flashed yet again in Bower's mind. "Hey," he hissed to Nadia, "My wife could be in here."

Nadia stopped and looked back at him. "Is she a development settler? Manual labor?"

"No. She's not part of the crew but I remember that spouses were allowed to come with."

"I am sorry, my friend but I do not think she is here," Manh murmured.

"No, she's not," Nadia agreed quickly and she hurried on. She moved like a cat: silent, swift, agile and alert.

Undaunted, Bower still wanted to find his wife. "Do you know where the family members are? How hard would it be to find them from here?"

"Quiet."

She moved up to the top of the tiers in this section of the chamber. Bower reached her and saw that the chamber was bigger than he had thought. There were multiple areas like the one they had just climbed and they were spread out several rows wide and several deep.

Manh had stayed at the bottom tier, crouched low among the cryopods.

Bower waited for him.

Nadia's whisper was urgent, "We have to keep moving! We don't want to be out in the open like this for too long. Especially in here."

Bower made eye contact with Manh. "We have to get going." he mouthed down to him but Manh didn't move. He seemed to be waiting.

_What the hell is he waiting for? A taxi?_

Bower turned away from him and caught up to Nadia but froze when he saw her. She had stopped moving, brandished her spear-weapon and was looking around nervously.

"Did you hear anything?" She whispered to him.

"No. Did you?"

"Maybe." After a few minutes, Nadia started to move onward at the same urgent pace.

"We can't just leave him."

"He's hunting."

"Well let's slow down at least. Then at least he can-"

"Fuck that."

"So we just keep moving and hopes he finds us?"

"You want to wait for him go ahead. Good luck to both of you."

Bower hesitated. He felt like a shithead leaving the other man behind but he knew Manh could take care of himself. He decided to stick with Nadia. "Wait up." As he stepped towards her, there was a metallic click and he fell straight through a trap door into what seemed to be some sort of garbage dump. Even though he was shocked by the sudden fall, he didn't utter a sound and he hoped that Nadia noticed.

The vat that he had fallen into was full of horribly smelling water. He had to stand on his toes in order for his mouth and nose to be above the water level. When he could finally open his eyes, it was pitch black so he began to fish around in his pockets for a chem light.

Nadia fell through another trap door besides him, splashing vile liquid over his face. She surfaced and instantly gagged.

"You all right?" He whispered to her.

"Yeah, I'm okay."

Bower lit the chem light and in its bright glow they saw bones of devoured humans that had been cast into the vat. The hunters were using this to discard the body parts and bones that were inedible. Smaller bones, some still held together by cartilage, were in the water with them along with other unidentifiable refuse. He held his breath to keep from puking.

"Oh God." Nadia gagged again.

Piles of skulls, rib cages and other larger bones were sticking out of the water like spiny islands.

"There must be hundreds of them in here," Bower told her quietly. She was turned away from him, still trying not to get sick. He thought of yelling for Manh but that would alert the hunters as well. "How are we going to get out of here?"

Nadia silently pulled his arm holding the light stick under the dark fluid plunging them into darkness. He was about to protest but then he heard the growling. They could see it fairly well through the grating. As the hideous hunter tromped overhead peering into the vat, the ship began to shudder violently as it when through reset cycle once again. This surge caused some of the overhead lights to momentarily come on, aiding the creature in its search.

They slid a little deeper into the filthy water watching the predator closely. It seemed satisfied that the vat was devoid of anything edible and it stalked off. Just as the beast moved beyond their line of sight, the ship settled down and the darkness returned. After a few minutes, they risked breathing.

"Where did it go?" Nadia asked. Her voice was so low he barely heard her.

"We have to get out of here."

The sides of the vat were difficult to climb over because of the bone stacks. Being careful not to make too much noise, Bower slowly climbed out of the vat using one of Nadia's shoulders as a step. He looked around for any sign of the hunter but didn't see anything so he turned and started helping her climb out.

A small noise made him let go and whirl around so she plopped back down into the water. They were both silent.

The vastness of the chamber was playing against them as he had figured it would. It was why he was so hesitant to enter the chamber in the first place. With the expansive darkness, cryopods and all of the cryo-hardware strewn about, the hunter had plenty of places to conceal itself for an ambush.

The shadows were numerous and deep.

Bower was still as a statue. He closed his eyes and listened.

A soft clink.

He turned towards the sound, eyes still closed, listening intently. There was a stirring noise, like the barely perceptible rustle of clothing. He opened his eyes and saw the hunter in the deep shadows. It was crouched low, moving silently ready to pounce.

Bower was in the process of forming a plan when suddenly, the creature leaped at him from across the room. It was so fast he barely had time to raise his anti riot weapon and squeeze off a shot. The pulse struck the beast in mid air but the momentum of the leap carried it right into him. It's heavy body smashed into him like a ton of bricks. Both of them crashed to the grating stunned and hurt, the creature mainly from the shot and he from getting body slammed.

Bower fought to catch his breath. His entire body was aching. His teeth had clacked together on impact and he could taste a lot of blood from biting deeply into his tongue.

The hunter was growling and mewling. It was completely devoid of hair and its bleached skin was so pale it was nearly translucent. It rolled onto all fours, seemingly recovering faster than he was. He could see that every muscle on its body was clearly defined and built. It snarled at him, red eyes flaring.

Nadia appeared from within the vat behind it. She buried the knife between its shoulder blades and stepped back arming herself with the spear-weapon.

The hunter turned towards her, shrieking in pain. Bravely, Nadia charged forward and it howled as she thrust the spear into it's belly. It grabbed the spear in both its powerful hands and pulled the tip from its abdomen as Nadia fought the get the weapon out of its grip. Shifting its weight, the creature ripped the spear out of her hands and cast it away.

Bower watched, fascinated as Nadia kicked it hard in its fresh abdominal wound and as it was doubled over, she yanked the knife from its back. The hunter went to its knees, dark blackish blood spilling from its mouth and its wounds. Nadia drove the knife into its throat and killed it.

She was panting and glaring at him.

"That was unbelievable!" he told her, "You were amazing!"

"You could have been killed," she scolded.

"What?"

"Why didn't you run? Didn't I tell you to always run?" She wiped the knife on the hunter's body and slid it into its sheath.

"Well I-"

"You were going to shoot it? Shoot it with your peashooter?" She recovered the spear.

"Hey this thing is more than-"

"If I hadn't made it out of that vat I would have been stuck down there listening to it eat you."

He felt like a tool. She was still glaring at him. Even angry she was beautiful. "I didn't mean to upset you," he said.

"Well you did."

"I'm sorry."

Another hunter appeared from the shadows moving at them swiftly. Nadia cried out in surprise and faced it with her spear but as she did, it rolled under her defenses, planted both feet into her chest kicked her across the platform. She hit a cyropod and slid to the grating, spear clattering loudly as she lost her grip on it.

Bower shot at it but when nothing happened he realized that in all the commotion he hadn't recharged the gun for another shot. The hunter lunged at him and he rolled. Biting at him, it got a mouthful of uniform and ripped a hole into his sleeve with its teeth as he scrambled away from it. It caught a hold of his foot and tripped him up. Horrified, he fell and it was over him, its drool dripping onto his face.

Manh buried one of his swords into the side of its head.

He had slashed the beast with such force, that when it reared in pain the sword was yanked from his grip, still impaled into the creature's flesh. Black blood spilled onto Bower and he kicked it as hard as he could to get it off of him. It was like kicking a slab of stone. The beast grabbed him by the leg and flung him to the side.

It dodged Manh's next slash and back-handed him. Manh was knocked off his feet. Nadia came forward to impale it from behind but it swiveled avoiding the end of her spear and clawed at her face. She dodged backwards getting grazed by two of its wicked claws which left matching thin shallow cuts on her forehead and over the bridge of her nose. Her blood seeped.

The hunter pulled the sword from its head like it was nothing and tossed the blade aside. It meant to rend them with tooth and claw.

Bower got to his feet and picked up the discarded sword.

Meanwhile, Manh attacked it again kicking it in the head. The creature bit at his leg but missed. Nadia jabbed at it with her spear and penetrated its bicep pinning it back against a cryopod. Manh hacked it again but the monster managed to avoid it.

Bower charged it.

The hunter yanked on the spear pulling Nadia off balance towards it and it headbutted her with a sickening thunk. She crumpled as Manh kicked it squarely in the chest knocking it away from Nadia's vulnerable form. It removed the spear from its arm and used the handle like a club, swatting Manh across the face.

Bower sank the blade into its chest. Nadia also stabbed it with her knife and Manh finished it off by lopping off its head. They were drenched in its dark blood.

They didn't have long to celebrate because Scarface called out to them in that strange screech. He was high above them and with his spear, he banged loudly on one of the cryopods. They watched in horror as a dozen hunters appeared beside him.

"I think we should run this time," Manh advised.

They were bruised, tired and bleeding but they didn't let that slow them down as they ran for their lives.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Leland

As they ran away, they could hear most of the hunters stopping short to feast upon the two hunters that they had just managed to kill. The shrieks of triumph and the sounds of tearing flesh were unmistakable. Bower wondered if Scarface was one of the hunters giving chase but didn't want to risk looking back to find out. At least not all of the hunters were in pursuit. He charged up the anti riot gun as they ran.

The tier stairs were slowing down their progress and not slowing the hunters. Bower ran down three tiers of stairs, crossed the bottom level and starting up another set when he saw a hunter leap clear down from the top tier to the bottom in one bound. Three sets of stairs were bypassed in half a second; the agility of the hunter really pissed him off. As the hunter landed and broke into a run less than ten feet from him, Bower Slowed down, took aim and shot it in the groin. He kept running, smiling to himself as the fallen hunter twitched behind him.

Nadia and Manh both had a good head start on him and the hunters were gaining fast. He reloaded the weapon as he ran, glancing back periodically to shoot any hunter that got too close. Two more were felled by the stunning pulse of energy. Up ahead, it seemed that Nadia and Manh turned into a narrow hall that channeled off the main corridor. He understood their plan; there was no way they could shake the hunters down the main hall but in the smaller twisting hallways, they could.

Their thundering footfalls, the roaring of the hunters, his heartbeat pounding in his ears and his hard breathing made it deafening around him. He didn't hear Nadia yelling for him to turn. Luckily, Manh grabbed his collar and hauled him into the small service entry and closed the door swiftly behind him. They heard the hunters run past the door but they would double back soon enough.

It looked like they had entered a dead end.

The narrow hall they found themselves in lead to a small set of stairs and then to a small reinforced hatch. Nadia told them it was locked when she first tried to open the hatch but a second after she announced it, they heard a loud click. When she tried it again the latch turned freely and she pushed into the next room. They closed the hatch behind them and they heard it lock again.

Someone had let them in.

The room they had entered was some sort of holding tank. It was a circular tank about thirty feet in diameter and about twenty feet deep. High above them was a processing area or perhaps a staging area. An assortment of cranes, pulleys and lifts were mounted along the edge of the staging area overlooking the tank.

Bower sat down nursing his cuts and bruises. Nadia stretched and rubbed her sore muscles like a cat. Manh carefully surveyed the surroundings.

"Someone's there." Manh said simply.

Bower whipped around and locked onto the target with the anti riot gun.

"Whoa! Don't shoot! Time out!" the man said in a gravelly voice.

Bower saw a straggled filthy man step from behind a large control panel with his hands up in surrender.

"No weapons! I got no weapons!," the man told them quickly, "I unlocked the door for you! I could have left you out there with them but I didn't. I unlocked the door for you."

Bower kept the weapon trained on him. He was shocked that they had found another survivor but he wasn't going to trust him right away.

"I got no weapons," the dark man assured them again still showing his hands. "Wait, please. Excuse me a second." He starting flipping large switches along the walkway above and different lights overhead came on brightly. "Please," the man continued jovially, "come in and make yourselves at home." He was animated and cheerful as though he was excited to see other people.

Initially, Bower had thought that the dark man was covered with grease but now with the lights on, he could see that he was a black man. His dark skin was natural, not the result of surviving aboard this damaged and filthy ship as theirs was.

"Who are you?" Bower asked him. He still had the man in his sights.

"Call me Leland."

"I'm Bower. This is Manh and her name is Nadia."

"The pleasure is all mine." Leland said with a small bow.

"Why don't you come down so we can meet properly?"

Leland gave a little laugh, "You think I've survived this long by trusting strangers?" He was older than any of them, in his late thirties, maybe even early forties.

"How did you know to let us in?" Nadia asked Leland. She was watching him very closely.

"Oh I saw you approaching on my security monitor," he said smiling, "I have a few cameras set up in the adjoining hallways. I don't like to be caught off guard."

"You live here?" Bower asked.

"I know its not much to look at," Leland lamented, looking around. "But! They can't get in here, unless I want them to."

"Why would you want them to?" Manh chimed in.

"A man's gotta eat."

_What the fuck?_

"You feed on the hunters?" Bower fought hard not to grimace or retch as he spoke.

"Hey, they eat us. I figured, why not eat them?"

"How the hell do you manage to kill them by yourself?"

"I use gas. It knocks 'em right out. If I leave the door open, it usually attracts the young ones. The adults are too busy hunting, you see. The young ones though, they like to explore. They're so much more tender than the adults."

_For fuck's sake._

"You're in my trap right now," Leland told them happily with a carefree wave of his hand. "I leave the door open, a prey comes in, I close and lock the door behind it as the gas does its work. It's a good, solid plan if I may say so myself."

"You locked the door behind us too." Manh told him.

"Yes." Leland was still smiling, happy with himself.

"You plan on gassing us?"

The smile vanished.

Manh stared up at him.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Leland asked heatedly.

"I asked you a question," Manh said quietly. "What is so difficult to understand?"

Leland was visibly angry now. "You think I want to eat you? Is that it?"

"I don't think he was saying-" Bower started.

"That's disgusting!" Leland spat. "What kind of fucking sick people are you?"

Manh just stared at him.

"I'd rather eat dog shit."

"We didn't mean to offend you." Bower soothed.

"Offend me? Oh I'm more than offended." Leland growled.

"I only asked a question." Manh told him. "You are the one who is assuming that I meant something offensive."

Leland stared at him for a few moments. Slowly, the smile returned, "Hey, I'm not offended. I was just surprised. I figure cannibalism might be the rage these days everywhere else. Not here though. Not with me."

"We eat normal food," Bower assured him.

"Yeah, we're not cannibals either," Manh called up to Leland. "Although since all we have is super snacks to eat, it does sound rather tempting."

Leland laughed. "Talk about eating dog shit. Those super snacks are a crime against natural food."

Manh chuckled. "Well, it is better than eating each other I suppose."

"I gotta a question for you," The excitement had returned to the dark man. He was beaming at them, "Where do you need to be?"

"Reactor bay. Do you know how to get there?" Bower hoped.

"Yeah, I do. Why would you want to get to the reactor? Oh I get it. You just woke up, huh. Well, are you hungry? Because I can cook." He turned and lit a burner underneath a hanging pot and began to busy himself with other pots, pans and utensils.

After they rested a few minutes, Nadia whispered, "We should really press on."

"I got a real treat for you." Leland was calling down to them, "It's a special meal I've been saving for just such an occasion."

"I am a little worried about what he thinks a special meal is." Mahn said grimly.

"Lets find out what he's cooking at least." Bower offered. "If it's nasty, we decline it politely and leave. If its good, well, I don't know about you, but a hot meal sounds pretty damn good to me."

"What are you making?" Nadia called up to him in her sweetest voice.

"Tuna casserole," Leland sang out, "been saving this can of tuna for a perfect meal for good company. Don't you worry, I'm a certified cook, you know. It says so right here on my tattoo."

"Tuna! See? Nothing to worry about." Bower smiled at Nadia. She had stripped off her uniform top down to a flimsy undershirt. There were a few bruises and scratches on her shoulders. She produced a clean piece of cloth, dampened it with a bottle of water and began to clean the cuts on her face when she noticed Bower watching her.

He didn't mean to stare, he was just surprised to see how beautiful her skin was underneath the grimy clothing. To change the subject he quickly asked her, "Is it safe to clean those scratches with just water?"

"Yes. I think the accelerator increases our immune system as well." She winced as she cleaned the shallow cuts on her nose and brow, "I've gotten worse wounds than this and I've never gotten an infection once."

"How long have you been awake?" Manh asked Leland.

"Hmm let me see. What's today? Tuesday, so I have no idea."

Manh laughed. "That long?"

"I've been awake for so long, I was getting used to talking to myself." Leland said. After a few more minutes he announced, "Okay! Let's eat."

He lowered a tray on one of the smaller lifts. It had a few small metal bowls with utensils and a few metal mugs. He then lowered a ladder down to where they were and climbed down holding a steel coffee pot. "Normally, I always reuse coffee grounds at least once before I throw them out but this time, I used fresh grounds. I'm sorry that I don't have any sugar or creamer. The coffee will hit the spot even if you don't take your coffee black, trust me."

The casserole was a little bland but hot food was heaven in their bellies. Washing it down with a piping hot cup of coffee gave them a sense of calmness, as though life was normal instead of in chaos and jeopardy.

They made small talk as they sat in a circle enjoying the meal until Leland noticed Bower's tattoo. "You're a flyer?" He asked incredulously.

"Yeah. You ever see any other Flight Crew around here?"

"Not recently." Leland told him. His demeanor had changed. He seemed very distracted, his brow was furrowed deep in thought. "Not in a long, long time."

"How long?"

"The last Flight Crew member I met was a guy named Gallo." Leland said quietly.

"Are you okay?" Nadia asked him.

"Yeah, that tattoo just brought back some bad memories is all."

"Gallo doesn't sound familiar." Bower admitted.

"He was the one that told me about what happened to us. He was the one that told me why we're in this predicament."

Now it was Bower's turn to be astonished, "You mean you know what happened to the ship?"

"Yeah," Leland said sorrowfully, "and it's not a very good story. No happy ending to look forward to, you know?"

"Tell us." Manh said, getting comfortable. "I could use a story, even if it is bad."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: History

"When I had first found Gallo," Leland told them somberly, "he was dying. He had been wounded from a fight with a hunter. I remembered first aid training and began treating him for shock from the blood loss."

Leland stood from their circular seating arrangement and began to climb back the ladder to the high roost above them. He kept talking the whole time he was walking, face as gray as a cloudy sky. "He told me he was part of Flight Command, that he was the Lieutenant Commander that worked directly with the Captain on the bridge. They had apparently received a distress signal from Earth. It stated that that the Elysium was all that was left of humanity and mankind as we know it. Fearful, he said they ran a full sweep off the grid looking for Earth but it wasn't there anymore. It was gone."

"The Earth's gone?" Bower was incredulous.

"How?" Nadia implored him.

Manh sat down, visibly shaken.

Above them, Leland produced what looked to be some sort of recording device. He pressed a few keys and a static-filled message began to play: _"You're all that's left of us. Good Luck. God bless and God speed."_

They sat in numb silence, each of them absorbing this terrible shock in their own way.

"He went crazy," Leland continued from his high perch, "and killed the Captain and the other Command Officer in the bridge."

"Everything wrong with the ship is the result of a mutiny?" Bower was still stunned.

"Gallo was the proud father of twins, a boy and a girl. He had also married one of the most beautiful and intelligent women I've ever seen. He had pictures of his family, you know? Well, he went crazy because our sister flight, the transport ship Utopia, was carrying all of the spouses and children of the Elysium's crew on board."

"I remember it now." Bower said, "There were two flight ships sent to colonize Pandorum. One of them had all the techs, military and workers and the other one had all of the families. The Utopia launched a year after we did. It was supposed to give the Elysium's crew a full year to prepare for the arrival of their families."

"That's exactly right. The problem was, the Utopia never launched."

"My God."

"It was destroyed along with the Earth?" Manh asked.

"Poof, wiped away," croaked Leland, "One day the Earth and the Utopia were there, and the next, nothing."

"In one day?" Nadia sat down, hands over her mouth.

"It had to be nuclear or maybe an asteroid?" Manh was trying to wrap his head around it.

"Does it matter?" Leland asked quietly. "I guess at first the Captain had reported that the Utopia was fine, that its launch was successful. During the second sector, way after the transmission was received, Gallo secretly swept for the Utopia to make sure it was behind them and discovered that she was gone too. I can guess he didn't take the news too well. I mean, his twins and his wife were gone and he had been misled. That's why he killed the others on the bridge. He kept telling me they had lied. He was like a madman. Telling me over and over again that they lied."

"So we're underway, all systems go and we get a transmission from Earth saying it was destroyed. That's bad enough, but the Captain decides to lie to the crew about the Utopia? That doesn't make sense." Bower was frustrated.

"Gallo was pretty badly wounded when I found him. He had lost a lot of blood, so at the time, I thought he was delusional, just raving, you know? After he started to recover, I got more information out of him. He told me that he had done things to the ship, that he had hijacked the computer system and that he had manually awaken some of the laborers from their cryopods and trapped them in the storage unit."

Bower's thoughts drifted to all of the empty pods that they had been chased through in the personnel chamber. He remembered Nadia saying it was their favorite hunting ground. He started to put things together. _No way. No fucking way!_

"From the bridge he had control over the entire ship. They were just games to him, that's what he told me," Leland's face was pale, "That the people he had trapped were just test subjects for his games. He was studying their behavior or so he said. At first, the trapped people formed a single big group and supported one another. As time passed and food started to get scarce they quarreled, divided themselves into smaller groups. He told me they pleaded with him, begged him to let them out. They groveled before him like he was a God, prayed to him that he would provide sustenance for them, so he did. Whatever group worshiped him the most got the food and water delivered to them. Of course, this started wars between the different camps within the massive personnel chambers."

They were silent, all of them just listening in horror.

_No way._

"The years passed. The strongest tribe eventually killed off the weaker ones. Gallo informed the remaining people that he was going to sleep for a few years. He only left them enough food and water for about a year. I think his plan was for them to die off from starvation so he could start over with his sick power games. He had only manually awaken one of the six sections at that time, so he still had plenty of bodies in the personnel chamber to play with after he woke up."

_No fucking way!_

"His first sleep was set for three years. He woke up feeling great and he thought that the people would be long gone. Instead, he found them still alive but not quite human anymore. They were mindless, almost zombie like. He thought that maybe it was because of what they were eating."

"Oh God don't tell me." Nadia murmured.

"Cannibalism?" Manh asked carefully.

"No fucking way." was all Bower could think to say.

"Yeah. Gallo told me that every time a new random pod opened every few days, they would attack the occupant, murder them and eat them. As if that wasn't bad enough, he saw them eating their own dead so he started feeding them to themselves. He would have them fight over the corpses. I guess it made him feel powerful or something." Leland climbed back down the ladder and sat down.

"So, what did he do then?" Bower was almost afraid to ask but he already knew the outcome of this story so he might as well hear all the details.

"Well, he said that everything was fine until they started breeding. The youngsters who weren't eaten by some of the other adults, could climb walls like spiders. They began to get into the air ducts and small service areas that weren't accessible to the adults. He wasn't sure, but somehow some of the youngsters found a way to get out. They managed opened a few doors that Gallo had sealed and let the adults out too."

"Hopefully, they turned on him and ate his ass." Bower hoped.

"Nope. He escaped but was forced to seal himself within the storage control room for a few more years. During that time, the hunters continued to evolve into what they are now. I guess eventually he made his way out of that office and that's when I found him."

"After you found all of this out what did you do?"

"You should have locked his ass up and forced him to fix everything on the computers that he messed up," Nadia said fuming.

"Like I said before, I was having trouble believing his story." Leland told them quietly.

"What convinced you?" Manh asked him, "Did you see something on a terminal that validated his claims?"

"No. After he had gotten back on his feet, he said I knew too much to live and he turned on me. After I had fed him, bandaged him and nursed him back to health, the fucker attacked me! Can you believe that shit? Anyway, I managed to kick him out and locked him out of this storage tank. I've been here ever since. I don't know what happened to him. Maybe he found a cryopod and is sleeping, maybe the hunters got him, I just don't know."

"So you know what the hunters truly are and you've been eating them anyway?" Manh asked him quietly.

Leland's smile returned, "Ha ha! That was a joke, man! I've killed dozens but I always throw them out." He leaned towards Manh, his voice hushed conspiratorially, "I just said I ate them so you all would be less apt to try and turn on me. I figured you'd think twice about trying to rob me if you all thought I was a sick bastard, you know? Ha ha!"

They all breathed a little easier but their situation was still grim.

"I've got food stored all over this hold," Leland was saying, "been rationing it out for myself 'cause I didn't know how many years I was going to get stuck here. I try to use the oldest stuff first-"

The ship vibrated violently and after the flashing lights and sounds had started to subside, there was a long metallic groan afterward. It sounded as though the ship was ill.

Bower felt like a rat trapped aboard a sinking ship.

He was clear and direct when he told them, "Listen, the power surges are becoming longer and more frequent. The groans mean that sections of the reactor are overheating. The reactor's in its final stage before complete shut down. We have less time than I thought."

"Whoa, what?"

"The reactor needs to be reset or we're all going to die." Bower said calmly.

"That's why we were trying to find our way to the reactor bay." Nadia explained.

"If we can regain control of the ship's systems, then we can start reviving people, possibly find some friends or family and begin to exterminate these fucking monsters. Everything is riding on us resetting the reactor. It has to be done."

"How long before the ship dies?" Leland asked him somberly, "The truth."

Bower thought about lying and saying they had a little longer than he suspected but the urgency was too great. Honesty was the only chance he had to motivate this small group into doing whatever had to be done to save the ship. "An hour," he told them, "Maybe less."

Nadia stared at him. "That's not enough time."

"It has to be." He didn't realize he had placed a comforting hand on her shoulder as he spoke to her. He pulled his hand away and turned to Leland, "Do you have a communication device? A radio or anything? I think my comm unit is broken."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Realization

"Payton do you copy?" It was Bower calling on the radio. "Do you copy? Can you hear me?"

Payton had been dozing in the chair and nearly fell out of it when he heard the inbound message. He scrambled to answer. "I'm here. Where are you?"

"I'm in a storage tank somewhere below B level near the cyropod personnel chamber. Mid ship sector 12, I think."

It was amazing that Bower hadn't gotten eaten yet. "How the hell did you get all the way on the other side of the ship?"

"There's no time for that. The reactor is shutting down faster than I thought. I need you to access the memory banks from the last power surge and run a Kolzer complex test."

"Accessing memory banks now." Payton was amazed at how fluid and effortlessly he ran through the programs and accessed the memory banks that he needed. It was probably from countless training exercises. "Running Kolzer complex. You're not going to like this, Corporal. The test says you have less than 47 minutes before complete system failure."

"That's less time than I had hoped." Bower sounded worried.

"What can I do to help?"

"I need the most direct path there."

"Roger that." He worked on it, found him the most direct route and relayed it to him because the radio that Bower was using wasn't a mobile unit. "Call me as soon as you can. I'll be on standby here. Good luck."

Payton leaned back in the chair thinking to himself when he was hit with a current of memories streaming into his mind. It was all coming back to him now. Seeing the tapes of inhuman behavior, watching himself play God, it was returning all of the dark memories hidden away in his brain in a flood. The images of recollection came back in a rush that dropped him to his knees. All of the sights, the smells, the textures, the places, the people... everything and everywhere and everyone who he had interacted with after he took over the bridge came back in a tidal wave.

He felt the wave pass over his body into every fiber of his being and when it had washed away, Payton was gone and Gallo was back. Gallo. Lieutenant Commander Damien Gallo was his name. His real name. He wasn't part of the Flight Crew. He was part of the Command.

He had been on deck along with the Captain and the Commander when the transmission had come through: "This is Earth's final transmission to the Elysium. It has come to our attention that we on Earth will be destroyed within the hour. The details of our destruction are not important only that your mission must succeed at all costs. You hold and carry the hope of all mankind. Our future has come to an end but your future will endure. Humanity will begin again on Pandorum. You're all that's left of us. Good luck. God bless and God speed."

When he heard Earth was gone, he had been devastated. At least, he had thought to himself, Samantha and the kids are okay. He just had to wait one year and he'd be able to see them again. Just one year.

But no. The Captain and the Commander had lied. There was no transport Utopia bringing up their rear a year behind them. It had been destroyed with Earth. They lied. They FUCKING LIED! Gallo screamed a horrible howl that rivaled the hunter's. Motherfuckers! They lied! The goddamn motherfuckers lied!

His boy and girl, Kyle and Eva they had named them. They were going to be the first children to colonize Pandorum. He had to receive special permission to allow them on board because they were still toddlers. Just babies. He could see their angelic faces gurgling and grinning at him.

Samantha. His beautiful wife. They had met at a class during their officer training. She had dropped out when they got married and decided to have kids. It took six years and two miscarriages for her to finally get pregnant. They had been so happy. He had already been selected for the Elysium mission so he knew that sacrifices were necessary for them to settle down and enjoy parenthood. He was willing to accept what needed to be done as long as his family stayed together.

But no. They had lied! The fucking bastards! They lied!

The anger gave way to the great sorrow that burrowed out deep from within his heart and he sobbed. He cried for his wife, for his boy and his baby girl. He wept for quite a while until his tears turned hot. A burner was lit under his sorrow and was heating it to a boiling point. He felt the hatred and vile anger returning to him.

Gallo had made them pay. He remembered it like it was yesterday.

* * *

He quietly entered Captain's Head and waited while the Captain finished with the urinal. After he flushed, the Captain stood there a few moments, deep in thought and was surprised to see Gallo standing at the door.

The Captain was a lot older and smaller in stature than Gallo and he had always suspected that deep down the smaller man was intimidated by him. His suspicions were correct, judging by the way the Captain gave a start. "Gallo!" he said with fear in his voice, "You surprised me." Nervousness played in his eyes and overshadowed his face even as he forced a smile.

Gallo had stood there fighting the urge to kill. He wanted the Captain to suffer first. A quick death was too easy. He struggled to contain the ugly rage inside. All he managed was, "Sir."

"You know I have an open door policy but if you wanted to see me, I'd rather it be at my desk where we could be more comfortable." He was still smiling but Gallo could see tiny beads of sweat on his upper lip.

"Why did you lie to me?"

The Captain looked deflated. He raised his hands and assumed a mollifying tone, "Now Gallo, we've been through this. We want the residing crew and subsequent crews to be focused and battle ready. We cannot distract them with this dire news. It could have devastating consequences on the mission."

"Who gave you permission to make decisions like that? What makes you think that what you're doing is best for all of us?"

"I've been given the authority by the President of the United States. I've been more than patient with you and you're insubordinate behavior. You need to stand down and stop questioning my judgment and my orders."

"My family was on board the Utopia."

The Captain's face was clouded with grief. "So was mine."

"I had twins."

"This was a tragedy for all of us on board, Lieutenant Commander."

"My wife." Gallo felt tears streaming down his face.

"I lost my daughter and grandchild. We've all suffered, Gallo. Don't you understand?"

"All you had to do was be honest." Gallo could feel the fury building again. "I was comforted by the thought of being able to see them again even if I had to wait a whole year. You took that away from me. It wasn't some cosmic cataclysm or act of God that took that hope away from me. It was you and only you."

The Captain sighed and threw up his hands in defeat. "I'm sorry, Gallo. I don't know what else I can say to you."

Gallo bore down on him swiftly. The knife found its mark. He held the Captain down as he gasped and kicked for air. Bellows of breath erupted from his ruined throat spraying Gallo in a fine mist of blood. He watched the surprised and horrified look in the Captain's eyes as he struggled to breathe but couldn't. Minutes passed and the expression changed to the realization and acceptance of death. Gallo stared into the dead eyes of the Captain, "It was good watching you die you son of a bitch."

Covered in blood, Gallo went to the Captain's desk and called the Commander into the office then he waited behind the door. He heard the knock a few seconds later and said enter. As the Commander stepped into the room, Gallo slammed it behind her, knocking her off balance. She cried out, fell to the floor and turned towards him, eyes wide with fear. "Oh my God! Gallo! What are you doing?"

She was a shapely brunette a few years older than Gallo with flawless skin and soft blue eyes. He could smell her perfume. Having her supine before him filled him with a sense of power that he had never felt before.

She saw that he was covered in blood and screamed. He came towards her but her hysteria was a ploy. As he was drooling, thinking of obscene things that he was going to do her, she kicked him in the balls when he stepped within range. Agony. He fell back against the door grabbing his privates, legs buckling and useless, feeling nauseated.

She got to her feet and ran to the Captain's desk. She opened the top drawer and rifled through the contents, little pants and soft cries escaping her as her desperation mounted.

"Looking for this?" He held up the handgun that he had removed from the desk minutes beforehand.

After she saw the gun in his hand, she started to cry.

"Now we're going to have some fun." He winced as his stood up straight, still in a lot of pain. "All you've done by fighting back," he told her, while supporting his genitals tenderly, "Was given me yet another reason to make you suffer, bitch!"

"Gallo, please. Please don't do this. Whatever it is you're thinking, please don't hurt me."

"Why not? You didn't seem to care about hurting me. You lied right to my face without even blinking an eye!" He took a step towards her brandishing the gun and the knife.

"I was only following orders." She crossed her arms over her chest, still weeping.

"Well now you're following my orders. Strip down. Everything off, now."

She bawled harder, "Please don't."

"Your stalling is only going to piss me off more, so strip! Now!"

She stripped, crying the entire time, trembling with fear. He didn't rape her. Even though she was beautiful and her body was excitingly built in all the right places, her humiliation was far sweeter than the physical act of sex.

For hours, he beat her and forced her to perform violent and humiliating acts upon herself, further sinking her in ugly depths of degradation. Only after she curled into a bleeding, unresponsive fetal position did he strangle the life from her, looking directly into her eyes as she died.

Gallo stared down at her lifeless body for a few minutes. He studied her sightless eyes, her blue lips and bloodless skin. Even in death she was beautiful. He caught his reflection in the mirror behind the Captain's desk and barely recognized himself. He was blood spattered, eyes empty and cold like the eyes of a serpent. His face was set with a calculated and heartless determination yet flushed with a colorful maniacal glee.

At that point, he realized he had lost his humanity.

* * *

He was still on his knees, shaking and burning with hatred. The memories of his retribution over the Captain and the Commander had fed the flames of rage momentarily but he knew soon he would need to induce more suffering to sate his fury.

He had only begun to make them suffer. All would pay dearly for the anguish and loss that he had endured. All of them would worship him or die by his hand.

Gallo stood before the computer console which showed a schematic of the entire ship. With his commanding officers dead, he was in charge of the entire mission. The fate of the ship rested in his hands along with the fate of the rest of the crew. He stared at his hands in marvel, knowing that he had already accomplished so much. There was still more to do, yes much more. He chuckled to himself. He wasn't done with his work yet. Not by a long shot.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Losses

They marched single file out of the storage tank, using the directions that Payton had laid out for them. Manh was in the lead, followed by Nadia, then Bower and last Leland. It was very dark now, Bower noticed, and as his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, he marveled at how well he could see in this unlit corridor. Maybe the accelerator wasn't such a bad thing after all.

The ship was silent as they moved, hushed as though it was holding its breath, waiting for them to fix its drastic illness.

Before departure, Bower had watched as Leland carefully selected a makeshift weapon from his small arsenal. He then bade Bower to do the same. Leland had chosen a large heavy sword made of steel alloy, and Bower had selected a set of hatchet-like weapons that were long-handled and lightweight. Leland had also sharpened all of their weapons with a laser sharpener that he had scavenged from the mess kitchen.

Bower also had the anti riot weapon for backup.

They were armed to the teeth.

His spirits had been high, motivation was fueling him with energy when they had left. In the steamy shadowed warmth of the narrow hallway, apprehension closed in. He pushed himself on, knowing that there was no going back, no turning around, no putting this mission off until another day. It HAD to be done, period.

Up ahead, Manh stopped and crouched low to the side of the hall. He drew his swords and was staring ahead into the fog, intently. He wasn't moving on. The clock was ticking.

Bower made his way quietly past Nadia and hunkered down besides Manh. "What's wrong?"

"I think I just saw a hunter child." Mann said so low that Bower could barely hear him.

"A what?"

"Hunter child. You know, a hunter's child."

There was a soft scratching noise up ahead of them in the steamy hallway. "They dangerous?" Bower asked.

"Oh yeah."

"Well, shit."

"I think it knows we're here. We have to be very careful, my friend. They are really fast and-"

A high pitch screech, similar to a monkey's accompanied the small white flash that flew out of the mist and right on top of Manh. In that same split second, he could hear Leland crying out in surprise, and Nadia cussing in German behind him. The spindly creature that was attacking Manh was about the size of a child. It had very sharp teeth, jet black eyes, long arms and white skin.

The small attacker held a sharp spike that it was thrusting downward towards Manh but he managed to put up one of his swords to block the attack. His blocking sword caught the creatures forearms as it stabbed down at him, it still penetrated his shoulder but Manh's sword cut deeply into both of its arms. It shrieked loudly until Manh ran it through with his free weapon.

Bower spun towards Nadia as she was pinning another one of the darting creatures against the wall with the spear. It was snapping at her with its crooked teeth keeping both hands on the spear to keep her from crushing its windpipe. He hacked at it with one of the axes but it jerked away, avoiding his attack. He reared back to hack it again but Nadia had already stabbed it with her knife. She stabbed it repeatedly in the chest as Bower watched Leland behind her, hacking up the one that had attacked him.

Leland's hand was bleeding from a bite and Manh was cussing as he removed the spike from his shoulder but they had won. The hunter children had launched an organized ambush against them and they had won. "Good job everyone." Bower said.

_Tat, tat, tat, tat, tat._

"I guess they didn't like all the screaming and fighting we just did," Manh told them.

"This way!" Leland called.

They ran down a side passage that lead to a security gate that could be locked from their side. It was a tight hall, the narrowest Bower had seen so far. Further inspection of the passage revealed yet another gate that opened into one of the personnel chambers. It was like a carnival maze in this area of the ship.

They moved away from the security gate and into the main chamber out of its line of sight. This personnel chamber was smaller than the others. "I think we'll be safe here," Nadia told them.

"What makes you so sure?" Bower was curious.

"Well," she said patiently, "These pods are all empty."

"Nothing for them to eat here." Manh chimed in. He had seated himself on the stairs and was cleaning the wound on his shoulder. Leland was also bandaging his own hand.

Bower studied the room. Even though it was a lot smaller than the other rooms, this room still held a lot of cryopods. He thought back to what Leland had told them about the horrors that Gallo had put these people through.

After a few minutes passed, Manh announced, "Okay I'm ready to go."

"Same here." Leland said.

Bower was still looking around at the room in amazement. Was it here? Was this one of the rooms that Gallo had locked off from the rest of the ship? Was this where he performed all of those despicable acts on the laboring crew?

"Hey, if we don't leave here soon, then there's really no point in going." Leland told them.

He remembered his wife and again felt the sinking feeling, the sense of loss. He pulled out the picture of the lovely blond, knowing why he was feeling those emotions. His memories were coming back in that familiar rush.

"What are you doing?" Nadia hissed at him.

"These were our friends. Our crew members." Bower said softly. "They're all dead. All of them, killed and eaten by these fucking monsters."

Nadia's tone changed, "Sorry. You think she was here?" She asked him gently. She brushed his hand that was holding the picture with her own.

"No, she- she's not here. She wasn't on this flight."

"How do you know for sure?" she pressed.

"Because she wouldn't come with me on this mission." He remembered the heartache and the disappointment he felt when they had the deepest conversation of their marriage. It was the decision about whether they were going to stay on Earth or go to Pandorum. She had looked him in the eye, let go of his hand and walked out of his life. "She wouldn't come with me on this flight. She left me."

"Your wife wouldn't come with you?" Leland asked.

Bower shook his head.

"That's fucked up, man."

"Deep space travel isn't for everyone, my friend." Manh told him.

"She should have come with you." Nadia said softly.

"I'll bet our Nu would have." Manh said slyly.

Nadia glared at him.

"Well, that's the kick in the ass." Bower replied to them distractedly, "I offered to turn down the mission and stay with her but she still left me. I know now that she was going to leave regardless. The Elysium mission was just a convenient excuse. I loved her so much."

He was so glad he wasn't an emotional person. Shedding tears in front of his hardened colleagues was the last thing he wanted to do. Was Nadia blushing?

"There was nothing left for me," Bower continued. He was watching Nadia more closely, "I enlisted, graduated at the top of my class in Engineering, passed Astronautical training and got assigned to the Flight Crew Division for this ship. She's the main reason that I left."

Nadia leaned towards him, "Well, then she saved your life."

"All of that is very tragic, man." Leland told him softly. "I don't mean to be an asshole or anything but we really need to get moving."

"Just give me a minute, would you?"

"We don't really have a minute to spare, my friend." Manh informed him.

Bower sighed.

"We have to save the ship." Nadia said.

"I'm just having second thoughts about all this. I meant what's the point? We're still going to be stranded out here. There's nothing to look forward to and there's nothing left to go back to."

Nadia stood in front of him. "You're wrong."

He met her gaze.

"We were meant to go on and we were meant to survive." She told him firmly. "And now its more important than ever since we're the last."

He let what she said sink in. He knew they had to keep going, that failure was not an option. His main problem was that memories were still flooding his senses and making it hard for him to concentrate.

"We're wasting time." Leland said.

Bower remembered Flight School with Lieutenant Payton and his wife Marianne. Numerous memories broke through the dam of linear thought and flooding his brain with various past images. They had become pretty good friends he, Payton and Marianne. He realized he was staring at the empty cryopod with the name M. Payton over it. "I remember." He told them.

"What?" Nadia asked.

He stepped passed Nadia, his eyes were locked on the cryopod. "I remember Payton and his wife Marianne."

Manh was curious. "What are you saying?"

"I mean that I remember Payton and I remember his voice. In Flight School, I can't even count the number of times I talked to him over the radio, especially after I went into Ship Engineering. During his simulator training he had to call on me hundreds of times. I know who Payton is and I know what his voice sounds like."

Nadia stood beside him. "Hey, you're still not making sense."

"What I'm trying to tell you is, the Payton that we've been communicating with, is not the real Payton."

Silence.

"So these directions are shit?" Leland growled.

"Yeah. Definitely."

"Well fuck me."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Gallo

Gallo felt like a new man. He had missed himself. He was back now and he had a lot of work to do. Seating himself at the security terminal humming to himself, he quickly found the other files he had hidden away within the system's files. He knew what they were and what control they gave him. With his memory fully restored, he was unstoppable.

There were several files but there were only two that gave him much more control of the ship than the rest. The first of the files were the Last Resort Codes that he had stolen from the dead Captain. These codes were only to be used in times of a mutiny. It allowed the Captain to have full access over all firewalls and doors as well as full control over the security cameras. It also gave the Captain control of all the cryopods. He typed in the codes and immediately, back up power switched on bringing all of the ship's cameras and doors to life. Unfortunately, the bridge door was still locked even after these codes were input. He was going to have to wait until after the reset.

The second file was Emergency Override Codes for the computer systems on board. These codes would trigger the ship's reaction to whatever emergency could occur. By triggering fake emergencies, it allowed him to gain control the life support systems of each area manually. He could pressurized a room or he could cause a vacuums in case of large unnatural fires. It also allowed him to control the oxygen levels, the sprinkler systems, the lights and the emergency hatches. As he entered these codes a red alarm light flashed on screen. He had disabled the audible alarm for the rest of the ship so he was safe from alerting anyone to his treachery.

Ah the rush, that feeling of total power. He knew their lives were in his hands now and the emotions ripping through his body were intense, nearly orgasmic. They were little flies in his web of deception, his spun world of woe.

Gallo began to receive warnings of the reactor's shutdown. These he ignored. He knew the it was imperative that Bower be allowed to reset it. He already planned to shut out the hunters as best he could to allowed Bower a straight shot at the reactor terminal. He knew there would be a few stragglers but the majority of the hunters would be held at bay.

"Corporal Bower," he said aloud. No one could hear him, but he didn't care. They would know of him soon enough. "I have decided to bless your mission. See how I can change the outlook of our future. Witness my power, my insight and my benevolence." He shuddered with pleasure.

Using the security cameras, he began to shut large bay doors and smaller personnel doors to limit access to the reactor room. He also used the ship's schematics to seal all of the maintenance hatches, air vents and crawlspaces. Bower now had a single way to get into the reactor room. Once he was inside, he could reset the reactor without interruption except for any hunters that managed to follow him which was improbable. This funneling of security gave Bower a far better chance than possibly being ambushed from all sides and at any time during his approach to the terminal. So far, everything looked good.

"I have given unto you, a better chance." Gallo announced. "I have blessed your path. When we finally meet face to face, you will show me the proper respect. You will worship me, you will love me and you will fear me." He chuckled to himself. He felt so alive.

Gallo began pouring over the schematics and the camera shots that covered the path that Bower was going to take to enter the reactor room. He made sure that there were no blocked passages and no locked doors on any of the levels Bower would be traveling through. He wanted to make sure that nothing was going to get in his way. He must be allowed to reset the reactor at all costs. Everything looked good. Everything was ready. Perfect.

"You have free reign in the world I have created for you." He said aloud to himself, "You may go anywhere on board except for the bridge. The bridge is mine to command; You may not enter there. This is your forbidden fruit."

He wanted to watch Bower's progression. He wished to see how far Bower had come.

Using the security cameras, he pinpointed Bower's location and watched the small group moving through the darkness. So he had found friends. Good. This increased the chances of success within the reactor room. It also gave Gallo more subjects to reign over.

Leland.

When he saw that Bower had managed to come into contact with the infidel Leland, Gallo's smug smile vanished. He had been compromised. He had no doubts that Leland had told them of their history. They knew the truth to Payton being a fake. Gallo had killed the real Payton, fed his body to the hunters and had assumed Payton's identity.

He stood and began pacing back and forth before the security terminal, worrying.

Back when he had been nursed by Leland, he wasn't sure if he was going to pull through. A man teetering on the threshold of death is prone to confess things and to admit to actions that normally he would never admit to. He had blabbed all of his plans, confessed all of his sins to the infidel Leland because he thought he was going to die.

After Gallo was sure he was strong enough, he had attempted to kill and silence the infidel forever but his plan had been thwarted.

* * *

Leland had been caring for him in the storage tank. He would climb down from the platform overhead to deliver food and water, to change Gallo's bandages and to administer medications.

Gallo had been watching his movements closely for several days. He drank the antibiotic liquid for infection and the ibuprofen pill with some water for the fever. "Thank you." He had told him.

The dark man had smiled at him and said something meaning to be funny, at which Gallo pretended to laugh.

"You should be on your feet soon." Leland told him in that annoying gravelly voice. "Maybe start off slow like just taking a short walk around the room. I'll help you."

"You've done so much for me already," Gallo lied. "Maybe if I had something to lean on like a cane or a crutch, I could walk myself. I don't want you doing anything more for me. You've done too much already." He tried to sound gracious, but was afraid perhaps his impatience had been revealed.

Leland hadn't noticed. "Sure," he agreed. He had dug up a heavy steel pipe that was flat and round on the top. "This should help you. You can use it like a cane or a crutch."

He had been so pathetically sincere, Gallo remembered with revulsion. So eager to help, so happy to be useful, what a waste of human flesh.

After Leland handed over the cane did Gallo attack. He had struck Leland over the head with the weapon, sending the dark man staggering to the ground.

"What the fuck, man?" Leland shouted. He was holding his bleeding head. "I helped you. I saved your life. What the fuck?"

"You've been a good subject, Leland, but I'm afraid you know too much."

"What?"

"I've told you my plans. I've told you the truth. You know everything so you must die."

"Bullshit."

"This is my judgment. It must be so."

"What the hell are you talking about, man?" Leland had been crawling away from him. At the time, Gallo thought it was just a desperate and feeble attempt to get away. He fell for Leland's trap.

"I am the God of this ship, the supreme commander do you understand?"

"Go fuck yourself."

As he had slowly followed Leland, he continued to explain why he had to die. He was so engrossed in his speech that he had failed to notice what was overhead. Leland had shrewdly lured him beneath a suspended net. He had cut the rope and the net fell on top of Gallo.

"I curse you!" Gallo had screamed at him as Leland opened the hatch. Struggling to free himself for the heavy net, he was helpless. "I'll cut you to pieces! I'll rip out your eyes and piss in your sockets!"

"Like I said," Leland growled at him, glaring, "Go fuck yourself." The dark man had then kicked him down the stairs and locked the hatch behind him.

* * *

Gallo felt the hatred beginning to boil. He had placed a curse upon Leland, so he must suffer. He stood watching the monitor, trembling with fury. His jaw ached from clenching, his forearms burned from clenched fists. The hunger for destruction was filling him up.

He didn't want to lose control of himself, not yet. He needed to be focused, he had to make sure everything went according to plan. Going into a destructive rampage could jeopardize Bower's mission. Leland would pay for his treachery, he just had to be patient. He turned from the monitor, breathing in deeply and thinking soothing thoughts. After a few minutes of calming, he sat back down at the terminal and relocated the small party.

There was an Asian man in the group that he didn't recognize. He looked fierce and strong. He was a suitable warrior to help protect Bower during this endeavor. The fact that he was out in front of the party and the rest followed behind showed a dominance of power. Bower was probably the brains and this man was the brawn.

After the fierce man was the woman. Good lord. What a woman! He was immediately enchanted by her strength, the confidence with which she moved but also the delicate feminine profile and lovely face. He saw her weapons and her scars from battle. How could she have survived so long? She must be a deadly combatant to have endure through the hunting.

Gallo was aware that he was staring at her but he couldn't tear his eyes away from her. She was perfect. She was both deadly and beautiful like a bird of prey or a carnivorous flower. Her eyes were were breath-taking. The tone of her skin, the curve of her mouth, the shape of her hips was enough to get him to zoom the camera in to watch only her.

"You are the most wonderful, stunning woman I have ever seen." He said aloud. "I think I shall spare your life."

The group had stopped moving and they had hunkered down low, perhaps listening for hunters.

He watched her as she studied her surroundings. "You are everything that I need. I wonder what your name is my pet. Ah. It's no matter. I will rescue you from this rabble, give you a name and you will love me for it."

She was staring directly at the camera now. The Asian man in front of the group had noticed the camera's slight movements as Gallo panned to keep the woman in frame. No matter. They still had to reset the reactor, so he had plenty of time to study the gorgeous creature.

"Yes, you will love me more than you have ever loved another man, my pet," He decided.

The woman was glaring at the camera.

"You will be my queen."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Reactor

Leland removed a heavy vent from wall near the floor exposing a small duct. "These air vents run all over every floor," he explained quietly, "They're just big enough for repairs to be performed inside them so they should be big enough for us to crawl through. We can use these ducts to get to the reactor."

"Sounds good to me." Bower said.

"Well the problem is, these vents are also navigated by the hunter children, you know? For some reason, the adults don't like to enter confined spaces, but the children love to. We encounter a few hunter children in this tight space and it's going to get ugly. Real ugly."

"I'm the smallest," Nadia whispered, "I'll go first."

"Hell no." Bower protested.

"I'll take lead," Leland patted her on the head, "I'm pretty small myself and I know how to get to the reactor from here."

"I like that idea a lot better." Bower agreed.

"Fine," Nadia acquiesced, "then I'll go last."

Leland crawled into the space on his belly. Manh went next, then Bower and Nadia brought up the rear. Fighting in this small tight vent was going to be next to impossible. Hopefully, they would be able to navigate the vents without incident.

There wasn't much room in the ventilation ducts. They had to half-crawl, half-drag themselves because the duct was too low to completely crawl up on their hands and knees. Turning around was only possible when they came to an intersection because it was so narrow. The metal was ice cold around them and every noise they made was amplified due to the thin walls of the duct.

They pressed on.

"We're getting close to the reactor," Leland told them, "You can hear it breathing."

As they neared the rear of the ship, the duct started to get warmer and warmer. Leland carefully crawled out of the vent and stood before a railing that overlooked a deep room that housed the reactor. The elevator that was usually used to get to the bottom was dark and useless. It was a long climb down a ladder to the reactor platform from here.

"This is it," Leland said, clasping a hand on Bower's shoulder. "This is where we need to be. This is the descent straight down into hell itself."

The heat and humidity were stifling. The ladder rungs were damp, making them slippery and dangerous. Since their palms were already sweaty, it only made it harder not to lose their grip. Sliding down was also impossible. It was so high up that too much speed could be built up with the slickness of the ladder so that stopping would be difficult.

They had no choice but to climb down slowly and methodically. Bower went first. He was the only one in the group that knew what had to be done once they reached the platform to the reactor terminal. Luckily, there was a safety cage that wrapped around the ladder. About halfway down the hundred foot or so descent, his arms started cramping. With his feet braced against the rungs, he leaned back against the cage and rested.

Bower didn't have anyway to check how much time they had left nor could he contact Payton to find out. He was doing the math in his head and he figured he had around fifteen minutes left before the core shutdown and that was being generous. He started climbing downward again, even though he wasn't fully rested.

He finally reached the platform that had four bridges leading to the terminal for the reactor reset from the four perpendicular directions. The reactor terminal had its own narrow platform. Unfortunately, the bridge that Bower was supposed to use was dilapidated with rust. It was a thirty foot span of a rickety bridge over a drop of about another hundred feet.

Four mounts at each corner were designed to hold the bridge securely in place. Two of the mounts had broken on the same side so that the bridge was tipped at an angle towards that weaken side. He was going to have to keep his weight on the narrow bridge towards the side that wasn't broken. Hopefully, that was going to be enough to keep the bridge from swinging freely downwards which would only leave him the bridge thickness of a few inches to cross.

_Nothing can just work out nice and easy for me, can it?_

"Lets find another way across," Nadia suggested.

"We don't have time," Bower argued. "It will take too long to try and get to another bridge."

Leland was looking down at how far down the bottom level was. He let out a tiny whistle. "That's a long way down, man."

"If you fall you're not going to be any use to us, my friend." Manh told him.

"It's too dangerous here. We can find another bridge in a few minutes." Nadia offered.

"We don't have a few minutes," Bower told her. He put a tentative foot on the bridge and then turned to look back at the rest of the group. He swallowed nervously, forcing a weak smile, "Wish me luck."

Nadia stepped forward and gave him a small peck on his cheek. "Good luck," she said softly. Her lips were surprisingly soft and warm. Her breath gave him goosebumps.

With renewed energy, Bower began crossing the bridge at a snail's pace. The humidity was making the bridge's hand rail very slick as well. Since he was leaning almost all of his weight on the railing, he was worried that he would slip off and fall.

He got about halfway across the bridge when the neon display of the terminal became visible through the thin steam: eight minutes and forty-four seconds remaining. It only took around sixty seconds to go through the entire reset procedure. He had plenty of time. For the first time since he had woke up, Bower finally felt relieved.

_I'm going to make it._

His relief vanished when he saw the hunter waiting for him at the end of the bridge.

Bower froze.

It didn't move either.

Time seemed to stand still.

This hunter was larger than a hunter child but smaller than Scarface. Slender limbs, wide hips, delicate head and narrow shoulders: it almost looked female. As he strained to see its white skin through the wispy white steam, he could see that it was indeed female.

_Wow was she ugly!_

The female hunter looked exactly like its male counterparts: pale white skin, ruddy eyes, scars, hideous claws and sharp teeth. The difference was is this female was nude, he could see a curve of small firm breasts as it was crouched low. It wasn't wearing the same thick spiky armor that the males wore and it had no weapon.

The female wasn't moving. Was she trying to hide? He wasn't sure. Bower watched as it slowly reached forward and placed a hand on the weak side of the bridge. What the hell? With tremendous strength and a distinctive high-pitched wail, she drove all of her body weight forward onto the rusted mount and snapped it.

The bridge fell out from under him.

He heard Nadia cry out in alarm.

He heard the wails of more female hunters as they attacked the rest of his group.

Bower was falling.

Even though he was already gripping the hand rail firmly, the sudden weight shift from the fall ripped the rail from his grip. He desperately grasped at the opposite railing since it was swinging below him as he fell and caught it. The grip on one of his hands faltered and he dangled dangerously by one hand. One of the super snacks fell from his pocket. He watched in horror at how long it took for it to reach the bottom.

_I'm not dying like this! Not me!_

Bower managed to swing his body upward and with his free arm he grabbed hold of the railing. As he struggled to pull himself up, he noticed that the lithe hunter had padded her way out to the middle of the bridge.

The huntress was balanced perfectly on the tipped over bridge directly over him on a side panel that was no more than four inches thick. As she squatted above him, he noticed that her sex and breasts looked human. They looked too human. Nadia and Manh had been right. These things were at one time passengers aboard this ship.

The female's eyes blazed with the thrill of the hunt as she stared at him.

He managed to hook his arms around the railing and began preparing to swing his legs up as well. He was now only four or five feet from where the huntress was perched. He hesitated knowing that once he climbed to safety the female would pounce on him. What was the point? If he had the choice, he'd rather fall to his death than to be bitten, clawed and consumed.

Bower glanced over at the platform where the others were locked in a desperate battle. Through the steam, he could barely make out their forms. They had spread out during the fight: Manh had already killed one and was engaging two more. Nadia had also managed to kill one and she was still fighting another. Leland had his hands full with two.

None of them could help. He was on his own.

Bower looked at the huntress, "At least let me get to the platform! At least let me fight you on even ground."

The female cocked her head to one side still staring at him. She leaned back slightly on her perch.

"Besides, you dumb bitch, if you grab me out here we'll both fall."

Was she listening? Did she understand?

He watched as drool dripped from mouth.

Nope. She wasn't listening.

Nadia's spear pierced the female's chest as he was looking at it. The blood splattered, drenching him. He spat out the vile fluid. The huntress, wailed once, turned towards Nadia then it visibly weakened and finally it succumbed to the wound, falling silently from the bridge spear lodged deep in its body.

Nadia had thrown the spear at the huntress and killed it. "Get up and reset the reactor!" she hollered at him. "Go, we'll hold them here!"

He wanted to kiss her. Not just a peck on the cheek either.

Bower swung his legs up and stood on the bottom railing while holding the top one. He shimmied to the platform and as he stepped onto it, felt the security of solid footing to be very satisfying. The neon display said six minutes and fifty-eight seconds before meltdown. He still had plenty of time. He stepped over to the towering terminal and began punching in the codes to begin the reset sequence.

A huntress leaped on top of him from the terminal. Her feet landed one on each of his shoulders bending him over and slamming him face down hard. She had been a good ten feet above him so the impact nearly knocked him unconscious. Leaning forward, the female bit deep into his left shoulder and twisted her head back and forth, trying to tear out a chunk of muscle.

Bower could hear the fabric of his uniform tearing along with his flesh and saw blood running out of the wound around her clamped teeth. He felt the pain piercing him through the wound and he involuntarily screamed in pain. With his left hand, he grabbed the back of her neck and with his right he gouged her eyes. She shrieked and released his shoulder, twisting out of his grip. His left arm hung limp at his side but he stood and drew one of the axes with his good arm.

She hissed angrily with one eye a punctured ruin and the other watering and bleeding. She circled him, letting out small coughs of fury and growling like an animal. Her good eye was fixed on the ax. He acted as though he was going to hack at her and kicked her in the face instead, then chopped downwards as hard as he could. He had gotten faster and stronger.

She reared from the feigned chop and never saw his foot. It made contact under the chin, cracking her teeth together loudly then his wild swing brought the sharp weapon right down into the top of her head with a loud thunk. The huntress was killed immediately. He had trouble getting the buried ax out of her skull.

He looked across the bridge and saw that his companions had won. He raised his bloody ax and whooped a cheer to them and they returned his celebration with hoots and cheers of their own.

"Okay," Nadia called to him wearing a lovely smile, "Now reset the goddamn reactor would you?"


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Control

As Gallo sat watching through the security cameras, he was impressed with the small group's resilience. They had overcome the huntresses that he had accidentally overlooked and Bower had managed to purge and reset the reactor even after being ambushed and attacked. The computer rebooted and all the lights in the security room lit up overhead after the reset but he still didn't want to leave the terminal because he was watching Nadia.

Nadia. He had heard them use her name over the camera's microphone. Nadia, it was a perfect name for a perfect queen.

Gallo stood from the computer and strode briskly to the bridge door. Scanning his forearm, the door opened smoothly to the shiny bridge. He made his way over to the main computer terminal and quickly accessed the security cameras and found his queen again just in time to see and hear them cheering.

"I'm going across the forward bridge," Bower was telling them.

"I'll meet you there!" Nadia said happily.

Everything was working out perfectly.

"It's as though you finally acknowledge who your true God is!" Gallo declared to the monitor. The time for him to implement the rest of his experiments had come but first, he had to make sure that his precious Nadia was safe.

He watched as Bower went fore along the platform to a bridge that was in the same condition as the collapsed one was but on this bridge, Bower managed to cross it quickly. "Where are you headed, my pet?" he purred, locking onto Nadia's position. She had made her way out of the room forward and was heading starboard to meet up with Bower. Once she had moved into an empty room, he locked all the exits trapping her inside. "Now I have you! Witness my power!"

He was shaking with pleasure.

On a separate display, he found an isolated group of hunters and systematically opened all doors that led to the reactor room before them. These hunters should be enough to eliminate the Asian, the infidel and the hero. He should have Nadia all to himself within an hour.

Gallo watched as Nadia pounded the locked door on her side and Bower was prying at the same door on his side. They were yelling to each other through the thick door but he was unable to hear them. The camera in the reactor room was too far away from Bower and the camera's microphone within Nadia's room was damaged.

The other display showed the hunters approaching the reactor room cautiously. They were still a distance from the three unsuspecting men but even if the infidel and the Asian got away, the hero Bower would be trapped and killed. Most likely these loyal idiots would stay and try to help their companion so all of them would die together. Subjects were so easy to manipulate and were so pathetically predictable.

As Gallo watched his master plan unfolding perfectly, his joy was too powerful to contain. He decided to talk to Nadia to make her see. He had to impress her as she had him. Hopefully, the com system on the wall was working in her room.

"Nadia do you copy? It's your God calling upon you."

On the screen, Nadia stopped trying to open the locked door and she glared into the camera. Wow, she was pissed. She began to curse him in German which such vehemence that he was actually taken back. "Now, now," he soothed, "Temper, temper."

"Is this your doing, you piece of shit? Did you lock this door?" She was practically screaming at the com unit on the wall at him.

"Yes-" he began.

"Unlock it now! You unlock this door right now, goddammit!"

"I locked it to keep you safe."

"Safe? You can shove safe up your ass! Open this fucking door now!"

"Is that any way to talk to your king?"

She hesitated.

He could see fear creeping into her eyes; she was starting to understand. "You are to be my queen." he told her forcibly, "You will do my bidding no matter how little or whimsical or humiliating, you will satisfy my every need and my every desire."

"Try and make me." Nadia said it slowly and icily. "I would love to see you try and make me."

"You don't have a choice."

"I'll cut your balls off and force feed them to you!"

"Ouch! Already, you're so eager to play. I guarantee that you won't get a chance. I control your life. I can take it away at any time. Just watch." He entered a false code for a fire located in the room she was trapped in and with that he was given temporary control of that room's life support system. He drained most of the oxygen from the room and replaced it with carbon dioxide to put out the false fire.

Nadia began to cough.

"I can drain the life from your body whenever I want, my pet. You will spend the rest of your life serving me on your knees!"

She tried to respond but was having trouble breathing. She wheezed and coughed. She collapsed to the floor writhing with her effort to breathe.

Bower continued to pry at the door. He must have called for help because the other two men started forward.

Gallo drained the carbon dioxide from the room and let the oxygen back in.

Nadia sucked in deep panicked breaths and got back onto her feet. "Was that meant to scare me?" she screamed hoarsely. "You should have just let me die! I'll never bow to you! Never! I don't fear death, you bastard!"

He laughed at her futile resistance. "We'll see how much death you can handle."

She hesitated again, puzzled.

Her room contained a small terminal with a display on it. He rerouted the info from bridge's computers to the terminal in her room so that she could see everything that he could via camera. "You will see what happens to those who refuse to cooperate! You will now witness my power!"

Gallo watched her with glee as she watched the hunters approaching the reactor room. Immediately, she screamed a warning to Bower. "He somehow has hunters coming towards us! Run!"

He continued to pry at the door. "I'm not leaving you."

_So pathetically predictable._

"Bower, please." She begged. "Don't do this. They can't get to me in this room. You're the one in danger, now go! Run! Please!"

The hero ignored her and kept trying to get the door opened.

"Damn you! Run! Don't die for me! I'll never forgive you!"

"I'm not leaving you," he repeated resolutely.

Meanwhile, the Asian and the infidel had made there way to the opposite door to Nadia's room and were trying to get her out as well.

_So easy to manipulate._

"Watch as your friends die." he told her through the com unit. "Watch as they are killed and eaten like cattle."

The hunters were nearing the reactor room. They had picked up their pace since they could hear all the shouting and banging as the men tried to free the woman. They clacked their teeth together loudly, _tat, tat, tat, tat, tat. _The echolocation would help the hunters find their prey quickly.

Even through the microphones, Gallo could hear and almost feel the hunter's sound waves.

The men heard it too. Instead of retreating, they doubled their efforts to open Nadia's door. The infidel and the Asian breached the opposite door with a crowbar. They could only get the door pried open a few inches but they were making progress.

Gallo could see the hunters entering the reactor room astern.

Nadia was still yelling at the men to run.

The Asian and the infidel left the crowbar jammed into the door and started to move aft.

Gallo watched them in amazement.

Instead of escaping, they continued aft as if to intercept the hunters. He laughed aloud at their foolishness. There was almost a dozen hunters in the group that was approaching. These men were heading to certain death.

"Come around to this door!" Nadia yelled to Bower through the door. Gallo could hear her through the com unit on the wall. "They almost had it open. Opposite side of the room. You'll have to come around."

"Okay. I'll have you out soon."

Bower made his way around through a few passages towards the door.

Meanwhile, the Asian and the infidel got to the platform across the bridge. The hunters were entering the room from the bottom level, a full hundred feet below the group. The Asian and the infidel were watching them. They were talking quietly, plotting something. They were speaking too low for the reactor room camera to pick up what they were saying.

Were they deciding to sacrifice themselves? Did they think they could save the hero and Nadia? Were they going to have the hunters chase them and lead them away from their companions? How revolting. How utterly pathetic.

"I'm going to enjoy watching your friends ripped to shreds," he told her through the com unit. "They don't deserve to live. Filthy, disgusting, dirty pieces of waste. I'm going to keep their heads as trophies!"

Everyone watched either firsthand or via camera as the hunters fanned out, trying to locate their prey. They kept clacking their teeth using the echolocation but for some reason they were having trouble pinpointing the men. Gallo wondered if it was the sheer vastness of the reactor room. Perhaps the steam was interfering with the sound waves. Whatever the cause, the hunters were staying at the entrance of the room seemingly confused.

_What the hell is going on?_

"No matter!" Gallo screamed that the monitor, "You think I'm defenseless? You think I am powerless? You think you're going to hide from my trap and just skip out of the room unnoticed? Witness my power!"

Using the room controls, Gallo accessed the lights for the reactor level and turned them on. The Asian and the infidel were immediately spotted and Gallo heard the sweet sound of the hunters shrieking in excitement. They spread out, some of them leaping onto the platform ladders and climbing up at several different points. Still others rushed back out of the room the climb the aft stairwells to the upper level.

"Run! Flee before my minions!" Gallo cackled at the monitor as he watched the Asian and the infidel frozen like deer in the headlights.

Neither of them ran.

Gallo stopped laughing.

The Asian drew his weapons. The infidel crossed the fore bridge and then ran to the port side platform where the group had climbed down. There was a narrow heavy duty door along the wall. He saw Leland crouch by it, using the shadows and the steam to conceal himself. He was watching the Asian closely.

_What the fuck did they think they were doing?_

They were definitely plotting something. Gallo was desperate to figure out their plan. He was running out of time. The hunters were reaching the platform.

The hunter that was climbing closest to the Asian didn't have a chance. He split its skull before it could climb out of the ladder cage. It's body fell one hundred feet and crashed onto the bottom deck with a sickening thud.

Two hunters climbed up ladders on the forward side of the room. They must have heard the pair struggling to get Nadia's door opened. Both hunters shrieked triumphantly and bolted forward. Bower was as good as dead.

"Watch your precious hero die right in front of you," Gallo told Nadia through the com unit.

"Here! All of you! Here!" The Asian bellowed like a madman. The two hunters that were heading fore stopped fast as did the others that had reached the platform at various places in the room. All eyes were on the Asian.

_No way._

"I have killed many of your kind! Come and get me!"

_No!_

The infidel quietly swung the door open and stood behind it revealing the empty passage beyond.

_Impossible! You filthy humans! You rotten pieces of shit! No! No! No!_

Gallo was so furious he was at a loss for words. All he could do was tremble with rage, swallow hard and make angry choking sounds in his throat as the Asian ran through the door followed by all of the hunters. Not one hunter remained in the reactor room. The infidel quietly closed the door behind them and locked it.

_You rotten bastards! Oh you fucking rotten bastards!_


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Diversion

Manh and Leland pried the door opened just enough to slide a large bar into the gap. They both pulled in unison and they were making steady headway until Nadia yelled a warning about the hunters. Furiously, they doubled their efforts, straining against the door. When the power was off, the doors had been much easier to pry open. With full power restored, it was proving close to impossible.

_Tat, tat, tat, tat, tat._ The dreaded sound waves reverberated around him sending chills racing down Manh's spine.

The bar slipped out and both men fell on their asses. They gave a quick laugh at each other then quickly reset the long crowbar and started pulling again. Inch by inch, the door was slowly being pried.

_Tat, tat, tat, tat, tat._

"We're not gonna make it." Leland said simply.

"I will head them off. You try and get this door open." Manh told him.

Leland released the bar which remained firmly wedged. "We'll both head them off. There might be too many for you to handle alone."

"If I need help, I will call you."

"The two of us can barely get it open a few inches. How far open do you think I'm gonna get doing it alone, man?"

Manh hesitated. This man was much braver than he had given him credit beforehand. He wasn't trying to impress Manh, he wasn't spewing false bravado or making a flippant boast. Leland spoke in the tone of a man with conviction. He meant what he said and he planned to carry out whatever had to be done to divert the hunters from Bower and Nadia. "This mission will have an uncertain end, my friend." Manh said quietly.

_Tat, tat, tat, tat, tat._

Leland shrugged. "Whatever will be, will be."

He smiled at the dark man, despite himself. "Okay, let's go."

They hurried into the reactor room and made their way to the center platform where the reactor terminal was housed. It was so steamy they could barely make out the bottom level. Manh pointed at the bay door located on the wall that was astern one hundred feet below them, "I think they are coming through there."

"How can you be sure, man?"

"I don't know. It is what I feel. I can feel them approaching us from that door."

"Feel them?"

Manh frowned at Leland. He tried to work out a way in his mind to express himself more clearly but Leland interrupted him. "If you think that's where they're coming from, then that's good enough for me. So what did you have in mind?"

_Tat, tat, tat, tat, tat._

Both men were aware that somehow Gallo had assumed control over the ship. They spoke in hushed tones, more to prevent Gallo from discovering their plans than to give away their positions to the approaching hunters.

The hunters appeared outside the bay door that Manh had predicted they would. There were ten of them, all horrible, angry and hungry loitering like a gang of thugs. None of them entered the room. They all hung back at the threshold as if they were waiting for something. Manh wondered what they were up to.

He watched as the hunters finally made their way into the reactor room. They moved slow and unsure looking around as though they were ready to flee at any moment. Their caution was uncharacteristic. Normally, the hunters were absolutely fearless. They fanned out searching halfheartedly, in some sort of apparent confusion. They repeatedly clacked their teeth together trying to locate them.

_Tat, tat, tat, tat, tat._

Manh thought about making a really loud and sudden noise. Perhaps, in their current tense state, it would be enough to chase them off. The risk wasn't worth the chance.

"I was thinking of leading them through the door on the port side." Manh whispered.

Purposely, neither of them looked port in case Gallo was watching them via camera. "I saw that door too," Leland murmured.

"It is a heavy duty door designed to withstand drastic changes in air pressure and heat. If you can lock it behind them, they will never get back through."

"Okay, man. How do we get them to follow you?"

"They will know who I am. I have fought and killed them everyday I have been awake. They despise me."

Leland quietly chuckled. "So you're gonna tell them 'Follow me you pricks' and they'll do it because they hate your guts?"

"Exactly."

"How do you plan on getting back?"

Manh paused. "I will have to find another way to get back."

"You familiar with this part of the ship?"

"No."

"Have you at least seen a map of this floor?"

"No."

"You could blindly run into a dead end, man. You could be leading them to your own death."

Manh kept watching the hideous hunters mulling around below them. "Death has been around me ever since I was born. I am not afraid of it."

"It's your choice, man but I'd rather try something else. I mean, if we pull this off, we can take control of the ship and set things right. Dying now is just a waste, you know?"

"You have a better plan then?"

"Well, no."

"So we are in agreement."

Leland was quiet for a few seconds. "Yeah, I guess."

"Okay. You hide behind the door and lock it behind us."

"No problem. You get your ass back to us safely."

"Okay."

The lights snapped on overhead. Both men were illuminated to the hunters below. The hunters assumed the predatory role and climbed to get to them, shrieking with excitement.

They drew their weapons.

"Go." Manh said.

"Get your ass back to us safely," Leland repeated then he hurried to get to the door on the port side of the ship.

The hunters made it up the one hundred foot climb effortlessly. Manh looked down into the ladder cage as the nearest hunter got to the top. It seemed to be wearing some sort of wrapping around its head but the red hungry eyes were all too familiar. He split its forehead open, sending it tumbling lifeless down into the ladder cage and beyond.

More of the hunters were reaching his level and rushing to get over to his platform. Two of them ignored him and rushed towards the bow where Nadia and Bower were. That's when he decided to yell out to all of them. He yelled something to them that wasn't important. The hunters didn't understand what was being said, so it was of no consequence. What was important was that they followed him as he ran to the port door which, every single one of them did.

As he rushed through the open door, he heard Leland say, "Take care of yourself, man."

The hallway Manh found himself in was narrow, hot and wet. Moisture was dripping from the walls and the ceiling. The grating panels he was running on were loose and weak, probably from rust. He prayed the unsure flooring didn't cause him to trip and fall.

He came to a fork in the tunnels and stopped momentarily. Every tunnel from this fork ended in yet another fork within his range of vision. It was a maze in here.

Manh decided to continue port. If he could maintain at least a minor sense of his direction, it would help him find his way back.

At the next fork, he climbed up the supporting mounts and grabbed the steel rafters pulling himself up. He hooked his legs and his arms into the rafters so he had his back flat against the ceiling. As soon as he had got himself braced in, three hunters dashed port underneath him.

At other areas of the maze, he could hear them shrieking and growling angrily as they looked for him in vain. It seemed that they were moving in all directions away from him or perhaps they had lost interest and had gone off to their lair. After a few long minutes, he couldn't hear them any more.

He decided the best plan of action to get back to the reactor room was to search for and find a long way around. If he could not, then he would try to find his way back to the bridge and meet up with them there.

Manh was about to drop from his hiding place and head starboard, when he realized that he wasn't alone. He froze and held his breath. Silently, a hunter child slunk upside down with him on the ceiling. It climbed right past him and continued towards the bow without noticing him. Manh was about to breathe out in relief when another hunter child climbed right at him from the same direction.

They locked eyes. It seemed like hours passed while they were staring at each other but he knew that realistically, it was only a matter of seconds. The thought of playing dead crossed his mind. He got a fleeting mental image of himself dangling from his current spot pretending to be dead and the two hunter children springing onto him clawing and taking out large chunks of his flesh with their teeth.

Manh just stared at the ugly child and it stared right back.

More seconds passed.

It was clinging to the ceiling with the claws on its hands and feet. The strength of its grip and the lightweight build of its body, probably complimented each other and allowed it to move so effortlessly upside down.

The hunter child hissed.

He turned and saw that the first one had come back. It hissed at him too.

"Nothing to see here." He told them, calmly. "Move along."

They lunged and he evaded their attack by dropping to the floor. He drew his swords.

The hunter children circled on the ceiling overhead.

He saw a third child leap at him from the aft doorway. It's shrill shriek was cut short as he sidestepped its tackle and he twisted on the balls of his feet hacking down at its neck as it leaped past him. He deftly beheaded it.

The two children overhead took the death of one of their own as an opportunity to attack. One landed on his shoulders. The second one he managed to avoid and he kicked it away before it gained it footing. The one on his shoulders bit him. It bit at his throat, trying to tear out his jugular but Manh shrugged it off. The hunter child got a mouthful of shoulder instead.

It bit so deeply, that he could feel its sharp teeth scraping on his bone. The pain was icy, like a white hot burn. He grabbed it's head with his other arm but the more he tugged at it, the deeper it's teeth dug into him. He screamed in pain as it shook it's head violently back and forth, trying to tear away a chunk of his flesh.

Turning his body, Manh rammed his shoulder into wall, smashing it's head against the steel. Immediately, it released his shoulder as it fell away with a broken neck.

He stepped back as the child he kicked away lunged at him.

Hurting, bleeding and injured, Manh was scared. He couldn't remember ever being so concerned about losing his life to the hunters. Perhaps it was the thought of losing his life to a child that had him rattled.

The hunter child circled him slowly. It stared at the wound on his shoulder, drool dripping from its mouth.

Manh's apprehension gave way to anger. He shifted his stance from twin swords to a single sword stance.

The child hissed.

He could feel the hot blood running down the length of his arm. It turned cold as it dripped down to the floor from his fingertips. He needed to stifle the blood flow or he was going to bleed to death.

As they circled each other, the hunter child lowered its head to the floor, cautiously. He saw it lapping at his spilled blood.

_You little bastard._

With a blood-curdling war cry, Manh attacked.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Reunion

Bower could hear the shrieks of the hunters in the next room. He located the bar sticking out of the door to Nadia's room and was tugging at it with all his strength but not matter how hard he tried, he could not get the door to budge. He was worried about Leland and Manh but he was more worried about getting Nadia out.

He yelled to her through the door, "Are you pulling on your side?"

"Yes."

"It's no good. You're going to have to try and find another way out. Are there any vents or anything like that?"

"No. It's just a charging station for the forklifts. None of the forklifts will start. I already tried."

"Damn."

"Just get to the bridge! I can find my way out." She wanted him to save himself. He could tell by the tone in her voice.

"I'm not leaving you."

"Just go! If you get control of the bridge you can unlock any door you want. You can let me out that way!"

"I'm not leaving you, dammit!"

He heard another shriek. It came from the fore of the ship.

"There are going to be more and more of them coming. Please go. I'm safe in here."

Bower squinted through the steam and saw a large hunter sprinting towards him. He shot it with the anti riot gun, sending it tumbling down, arms and legs flailing. He recharge it as another hunter cleared the downed one and lunged at him. He shot the closer one at nearly pointblank range. He saw a large wound open on its chest where the blast hit and hunter pitched back away from him, collapsing to the floor unmoving.

_I guess at close range they CAN do some damage._

"Run! Get out of here, Bower!" Nadia was screaming at him.

He reloaded but drew his axes as the first hunter got to its feet and closed the gap between them. The hunter shrieked at him so Bower roared back at it followed by, "Come on, mother fucker!"

On a whim, Bower hurled the ax at the hunter as it charged him. The ax turned end over end a few times and buried itself between the hunter's eyes.

It dropped dead at his feet along with its slain companion.

Bower was incredulous. "Did you see that shit?" he asked Nadia proudly .

"What? Are you okay?" Her voice was muffled from behind the door.

"Yeah. Sorry. Never mind."

_Damn._

He went down the dark hallway that the two hunters had just come from. There had to be a way for him to get Nadia's door opened. Down the long passage there was an opened doorway and inside was a utility room for the reactor maintenance crew. He opened several tool lockers before he found a tool belt hanging in one of them.

The Comm unit on the wall blasted at him, "Corporal Bower! What are you doing with those tools?" It was the false Payton.

"I'm going to open Nadia's door with them. Why don't you just keep playing with yourself and let me get this done?"

"Is that anyway to talk to your commanding officer?" his voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"You're not my CO, you're a piece of shit."

The other man just laughed. "I am your God!"

Bower grabbed the tool belt and started to head back to Nadia. "We're coming to get you. You'd better hide in fear while you still can."

"God does not have anything to fear from you Corporal Bower. I control your life."

"We'll see if you're still confident when we're face to face, you fucking murderer."

"I think you already know what I'm capable of."

"You're the piece of shit that doomed us all. You were too weak and too scared to deal with adversity like a man so you lost control like a coward and murdered the Captain."

"I think you're missing the most important points of this mutiny. I pulled it off alone. Unlike you, I didn't need any help from my friends."

Bower stopped in front of the comm unit. He could hear the annoyance in the other man's voice. Maybe if he kept pressing the right buttons, he could make this clown lose his temper. The idea of annoying Gallo gave him a sense of a certain satisfaction. "Yeah the Captain was little old man and our Commander was a petite woman." He forced a laugh, "Such a huge trial for you to be able to kill them all by yourself, asshole."

Gallo's voice was cold, "You're still missing the point."

"Yeah? What's your point then?"

"I control your lives."

"Bullshit."

The door to the utility room slid closed and the green open light switched to the red locked light.

_Uh oh._

"Your life is in my hands, do you understand?"

"Go fuck yourself."

"I will kill you. You had better start showing me the proper respect or I will kill you."

Bower could hear the frustration in Gallo's voice. He decided to keep pushing. "What? Are you going to trap us and have us fight over some food? I'm really scared."

"You son of a bitch! You'd better be scared! You'd better be really fucking scared!" As Gallo screamed at him uncontrollably, Bower decided to try and manually unlock the door.

He opened the control plate next to the door and took out a hand held computer unit from the tool belt. He started to run a bypass program by snapping the small gauge alligator clips onto the door leads. He got the computer program started and was typing some commands when he heard the opposite door slide open behind him.

He turned and saw a small security robot in the doorway. It looked kind of like a fencepost with arms mounted on top of a small frame with three sets of balloon tires. There were lights, sensors and a few weapons mounted all over the fencepost portion of it.

_Oh shit._

In a robotic voice the robot said, "Target detected. Dog tag scan identifies Corporal Rick Bower."

Bower looked around the small utility room. There was only the small area between the tool lockers to take cover.

The robot said, "Awaiting orders."

Bower dropped the hand held so it dangled by the leads, ran and jumped on top of one of the work tables turning it over like a barricade and dragged it back towards the lockers, staying as low as he could.

He heard Gallo say, "Eliminate target."

The robot said, "Order confirmed. Eliminating target."

All hell broke loose.

The robot opened fire with a small automatic weapon that was mounted on top of it. The weapon was armed with 10mm, case less, light armor piercing rounds that were making Swiss cheese out of Bower's makeshift barricade. The workbench was reinforced wood so after the shredding metal sparks and shrill ricochets penetrated the metal, he was pelted with small splinters of wood.

He heard Gallo's voice, "Hold fire."

Robotic voice: "Order confirmed. Holding Fire."

"Hey Bower? You still alive? Are you scared yet?"

"Nope, not yet." Bower called out to him. He forced a yawn, "I think I'm about ready for a nap."

"You son of a bitch!" Gallo's voice cracked at the end as he yelled. "Eliminate target!"

"Order confirmed. Eliminating target."

More sparks and more splinters rained down on him as he flatten himself as close to the floor as possible. Crawling back to the wall, he saw that there was a gap about a foot wide between the wall and the tool locker. If he could slide the tool locker out a few more inches, he could essential hide behind it. Since he was flat on his stomach, he had very little leverage and the tool lockers were really heavy. His chances of moving the locker even an inch were slim.

"Eliminate target!" Gallo yelled.

* * *

Leland had just finished running a bypass on the bridge door behind the hollering man. The bridge door slid open unnoticed by Gallo due to his screaming at the monitor.

Leland then closed the panel and hastily tact welded it shut with a portable welder. Now, the actual door was unlocked and it was going to take a little work to get it locked again.

Gallo whirled from the monitor and finally saw him. "You!"

"Yeah it's me." He dropped the welder.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance!"

"Well, you tried but I kicked your ass."

Gallo pounded on the desk with his fists. "Such impudence!"

Leland laughed, "Impudence?"

"You will see my power! You will realize that your lives are in my hands! You pieces of garbage will worship me!"

Leland started towards Gallo and drew the large sword he was carrying. "You're gonna need a better weapon than just your fists if you're going to keep spewing your bullshit at me."

Gallo laughed maniacally.

* * *

Bower pulled as hard as he could and the tool locker slid forward about four inches. Maybe it was the accelerator again, but he was amazed that he had the strength to move such a heavy object. He also noticed that the locker was top heavy as he crawled behind it.

The robot said, "Target taking evasive action. Changing tactics."

He then heard the unmistakable sound of a canister hitting the floor and rolling, tumbling, sliding towards him hissing. Tear gas. Bower held his breath and stood up with his back to the wall. He then braced himself against it and pushed as hard as he could on the wall locker. It landed on the ruined, overturned table barricade unevenly but it was caught up enough for Bower to run up the back of it.

He ran up the makeshift ramp as quickly as his legs would allow, whipping out one of his axes and hurling it as hard as he could at the robot. The ax sailed wide, missing it's target by about a foot.

"Target detected. Eliminating target."

Everything after that seemed to happen in slow motion: Still rushing towards the robot, he was still too far to engage it. He reached for the second ax on his back, his footfalls drumming on the metal locker like a heartbeat.

Slow motion: The small canister launcher was replaced by the assault weapon again. He heard the bolt of the weapon charge, locking the ammunition in place ready to fire.

Getting faster: Bower leaped off the locker to the side, away from the robot. Midair, he took aim and threw the ax at the robot with all the strength he could muster.

A little faster: The robot's wheels spun, twisting the frame to face its enemy. The assault weapon moved towards him, took aim and opened fire. Crack, crack, crack!

Faster: A round zinged past his face and another sliced through his earlobe. Bower's feet made contact with the floor.

Even Faster: The ax tumbled through the air at the robot. It's tires peeled out, trying to avoid the incoming weapon.

Almost normal speed: Bower rolled towards the open doorway, that the robot entered from, onto his feet and dove through into the other room.

Normal speed: The ax split the fencepost of the robot and a shower of sparks and fluids spurted from the ruined machinery. The fluids burst into flames and the robot stopped moving. Bower closed the door and started breathing again, panting.

* * *

Earlier, Leland had climbed up as fast as he could back to the vent that they had crawled through to get to the reactor room. Retracing their steps, he had then made his way to the bridge. He knew that if he could catch Gallo alone and kill him, then he could take control of the ship himself. With Manh lost in the engineering department and Nadia trapped in the recharge area, he could easily free Nadia and use the computer guide Manh to safety.

If he could just kill Gallo.

Gallo laughed maniacally. "You think that your puny sword is going to have any effect on me? Grovel before me and I'll let you live."

Leland started towards him. If Gallo thought that talking was going to intimidate him, he was gravely mistaken. As he prepared to attack, Leland was confused that the laughing man didn't seem a bit concerned. Even if he was a complete psychotic, Leland figured the other man would be at least a little nervous.

Gallo continued to laugh hysterically.

Leland didn't want to kill someone who was too insane to defend themselves but, he knew it had to be done.

When he got to within a five feet of Gallo, the laughing man pulled a handgun from behind his back and aimed it at him.

Leland froze. "Well fuck me."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Showdown

Manh swung at the disgusting hunter child but it swiftly leaped back away from him hissing. He attacked it again and it retreated further into the maze, vanishing in the steam.

Not sensing any further danger, Manh took the opportunity to tear his sleeve off and use it to stop the bleeding on his shoulder. He ventured through a few rooms and finally found a personnel locker room, all the while keeping direct pressure on his wound.

At one time, this locker room would have been lit up and buzzing with conversation as a personnel team changing into their work uniforms. Now it was silent and dark like an abandoned cellar.

The first aid kit had been raided. There was nothing left inside but empty packages, eye drops and a few ointments for burns. He searched the personnel lockers and managed to find a clean t-shirt. After the bleeding stopped, he would use the clean cloth to bandage the wound.

He needed to head fore and then starboard to try and find a way to the bridge. The plan to double back to help rescue Nadia was moot as long as Gallo still had control of the ship. If Gallo could lock Nadia up, he could trap any of them at any time if they didn't get to the bridge and stop him.

Manh reached the area where the two dead hunter children should be. As he walked through the junction, he saw that one of them had been partially eaten already. Perhaps the child that had escaped had come back for an easy meal and had snacked on it's comrade.

_Little bastard._

Through the fog he saw Scarface waiting for him.

His heart nearly stopped.

Manh closed his eyes. Of all the times they had crossed paths they had never fought for longer than a few exchanges. He wasn't sure if he was strong enough to kill Scarface one on one and now was a bad time to try, considering his wounded shoulder.

Scarface was glaring at him.

He watched the leader of the hunters make challenging gestures at him. It was clear that Scarface wanted to end their rivalry once and for all. The spear that the beast carried looked especially dangerous up close.

Scarface struck it's chest with a fist. It wanted him to attack it.

Manh knew that the hunters were intelligent but he wasn't sure to what degree. He considered parlaying with the beast and was going over in his mind different methods of how he could convey what his intentions were to a monster that wanted nothing more than to kill him and eat him.

Scarface struck it's chest again, harder this time. It was growing impatient.

If gesturing was the way Scarface wished to communicate, then he would oblige. He carefully lifted the torn sleeve from his wounded shoulder. It had finally stopped bleeding. Carefully, not making any sudden moves, he removed the clean t-shirt from his pocket and showed it to Scarface. Hopefully, the brute wasn't a moron.

Scarface looking annoyed but it set the spear against the wall and crossed it's arms over it's chest. It was going to give him time to bandage himself.

"Well, I am glad you are not as stupid as you look." he said appreciatively.

Scarface continued glaring at him.

Manh tore the t-shirt into strips and began to bandage his wound. He was amazed by the human characteristics and the behaviors that the hunters had retained even after the change. Scarface had shown bravado in challenging Manh to a duel. He had then exhibited impatience and also demonstrated honor in allowing Manh to prepare for the fight so that it was more fair.

The idea that these beasts were so close to humans yet so bestial at the same time was crazy. He still had trouble with the reality that Scarface was going to eat him if he lost this fight.

Scarface yawned.

Manh tied the bandage extra tight to prevent it from coming undone during their battle. A standard field dressing would suffice since he healed so quickly. Even as deep and foul of a wound as a bite would be fully healed within a matter of days. Too bad the same technological advancement that bestowed so many gifts upon him was the same as the one that had created the hunters.

"Okay. I am ready." Manh told Scarface. Even though the beast didn't understand what he said, it knew what he meant because it retrieved it's spear and took a battle stance. "I am not going to run this time. This is a fight to the finish."

Scarface glared.

"There will be no mercy. If I get the upper hand, I will finish you."

The beast growled menacingly at him.

As soon as Manh reached to draw the swords from his back, his shoulder wound started to bleed again. It hurt badly, throbbing with a sharpness that almost felt like a burn. At least his shoulder didn't feel weakened too significantly.

Scarface looked excited.

The fork that they were facing off in was about ten feet by ten feet. Even though it was small, it seemed bigger because of the four possible exit hallways.

Scarface didn't move. He seemed to be waiting for Manh to attack first.

Manh took a twin sword fighting stance.

The beast glared.

Manh waited.

After a few seconds passed and neither warrior made a move, Manh would not have been surprised to see a tumbleweed blow between them from one of the side rooms.

Scarface growled again. This growl was deep and angry. He began to circle Manh.

In response, Manh circled in the same direction.

"Well," Manh told him softly, "Let us begin then."

Scarface attacked.

At first he thought it was going to thrust the spear at his heart as it always had in the past, so he prepared to parry. At the last second, Scarface punched forward with it's rear gripping hand, catching him on the side of the face with the spear's shaft. The butt stroke knocked Manh flat on his back.

Scarface plunged the spear downwards at Manh's throat.

Manh crossed his swords and parried upwards. The spear was caught between the two swords and the force was transferred to the grating a few inches above his head. Curling his knees up to his chest, Manh kicked the beast as hard as he could with both feet in it's face.

Scarface bellowed with rage as it was knocked backwards. It had lost his grip on the spear. The weapon remained stuck in the grating.

Manh scrambled to his feet as Scarface began to circle him again panting and growling.

Both of them had already drawn blood on each other. Mahn had a thin cut to his temple and Scarface was bleeding from its mouth.

The monster was circling to try and get back to the spear in order to retrieve it. Manh let it. He wasn't going to win by using dirty tactics. He wanted to win in an even and fair fight.

It took a few hard tugs to free the spear from the grating.

Once again, a stand off ensued.

Manh feigned a low attack with one sword then hacked viciously at Scarface's neck with the other. Scarface parried it and used the spear tip as a blade slashing at Manh's midsection. Manh parried.

Scarface let out a war cry and butt stroked at Manh's head again. Manh evaded the attack by retreating a few steps but to his horror, the beast whirled with it's initial wayward attack and stabbed at his chest. Manh tried to parry it, metal clanging against metal sending sparks flying. He managed to forced the thrust away from his chest but the spear head pierced deep into the already wounded shoulder.

Triumphant, Scarface stepped closer to bite his throat but as it did, Manh also stepped closer and headbutted it squarely in the face. It fell back, jerking the spear painfully from his shoulder and Manh let out a cry even though he fought to not make a sound.

Blood flowed.

He was going to have to search for another clean t-shirt.

Scarface lost two of it's front, lower teeth from the headbutt and it did not look happy. Even more of the dark, hideous blood ran from it's mouth.

Manh tried to move his shoulder and was frightened to find that it barely responded. He was surprised he could still move it after all the tissue damage it had sustained. That was at least something. Determined to win, he attacked the beast, hacking swiftly at it with both swords over and over again.

Scarface circled away from him, parrying and dodging his attacks expertly.

He saw an opening and took it, hacking at Scarface's hand as it gripped the spear. The sword sank into the wooden shaft, severing three of the monster's fingers in the process. It shrieked in pain as it's fingers and blood fell away. Manh kicked it hard in the head, sending it to the floor.

The wicked spear fell to the grating.

Scarface rolled with inhuman agility, getting to it's feet before Manh could attack it while it was down.

Both warriors were bleeding badly.

Manh found that he could no longer maintain a grip the sword with his wounded arm. The sword slipped from his cold fingers and clanged to the floor.

It was now fangs and a claw against one sword.

The beast hurled itself at Manh dodging a counter slash that he threw in response to it's attack. It managed to get it's wounded hand on Manh's sword arm and it's good hand around Manh's throat. Driving forward it lifted Manh into the air and slammed him against the wall.

Manh saw a flash as his head came into contact with steel. He twisted his body, bringing one of his legs over the monster's arms. He used all his strength to force the monster's arms downward, breaking it's grip on his throat and arm.

The beast curled it's ruined hand into a fist and hammered Manh over the head sending him face first to the floor. He rolled, hacking at it's leg but it stepped back to safety allowing Manh enough time to get back to his feet.

Scarface came forward again clawing at Manh's face and as he brought the sword up to parry it's attack, the beast grabbed his arm a second time but this time with it's good hand. It squeezed hard on his wrist, digging in the sharp claws. Manh dropped the sword but threw a straight punch at its face knocking it back.

Scarface kicked his sword away. The circumstances of the fight had changed again. Now it was fangs and a claw against martial arts.

The beast charged again Manh did a spinning kick to it's midsection, knocking the air out of it. Undaunted, the beast tried grabbing his leg but Manh stepped back.

They circled each other.

"I guess I will have to beat you to death."

Like an enraged bull, Scarface charged again. It's ruined hand balled into a fist, it hammered at Manh then clawed at him with the other. He deftly blocked both attacks and stepped closer to the monster. Using the beast's body weight against itself, he slammed Scarface to the floor as hard as he could.

As it made contact with the metal floor, the monster tried to grab onto Manh. The sharp claws tore through the fabric gouging deep into his ribs.

Manh saw the beast's eyes roll back into it's head for a split second on impact. He could feel the claws tearing his flesh but still focused on the attack and drew his knee across the monster's face with a loud crack.

The force of the blow to Scarface's jaw would have been enough to break a normal man's jaw and render him unconscious but the beast remained lucid. It grappled with Manh trying to bite the side of his stomach. Alarmed, Manh fought to free himself from the creature's grip but it held fast biting deep into the side of his abdomen. He screamed in pain and fear. He pummeled the side of it's head, frantically trying to stop it's onslaught. Scarface bit deeper and tore out some of Manh's flesh.

The pain nearly dropped him into a faint. He noticed that one of the armor spikes on the creature's shoulders had become broken and was loose. With one last desperate act, Manh pulled the spike out and plunged it deep into the beast's neck again and again. It bit deep again and again Manh cried out in agony. He kept stabbing it and stabbing it until the darkness seemed to fill the room around him then it filled his vision.

_Am I dying?_

Before the blackness completely cut his sight off, he looked down and saw that Scarface was dead.

He had won.

The darkness swooped in like a bird of prey covering him in a blanket of black.

Manh felt himself falling back as he lost consciousness.

He had won.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Rescue

Bower wheezed and coughed after he closed the door behind him. He had held his breath, but the remnants of the CS gas on his clothing was still enough to choke him. His recently shaved face burned; his nose and eyes streamed mucous and tears. His eyes were on fire, since he had to leave them open during his escape from the gas filled room.

In his haste to escape the CS gas, he realized that he had made several huge mistakes.

The first mistake he had made, was exiting the room through the opposite door that he needed to get through. He should have killed the security robot and finished running the bypass program on the door that Gallo had locked. He had exited the wrong door.

The second mistake, was because he was panicked to vacate and kill the robot at the same time, he had left both of his axes behind. That left him armed with only the anti riot gun. Even though the gas alone wasn't enough of a deterrent to keep him from reentering the room, he knew that Gallo had enough control of the room to possible kill him within it. He needed to keep moving.

The third and probably the worst mistake of all was that he also left behind the hand held computer unit still connected to the opposite door and the tool belt lying on the floor. Even if he managed to find an alternate route back to the room that Nadia was trapped in, he still lacked the means to get her out.

Bower tried to think. He needed a plan and he needed one fast.

The hall that he was in was a "T" section. There was no steam here to hide him, no noisy reactor to mask his sounds and all the lights that weren't broken or burnt out were brightly lit. He was exposed as a rabbit on a golf course. Luck was with him though because despite all his coughing, there were no signs that any hunters had detected him.

His impatience to get Nadia out was causing him to be reckless.

_I need to get my head screwed on straight._

Bower decided to head starboard and try to find a path aft towards the reactor room. After that, he should be able to find the correct level and room that Nadia was trapped in. The only way aft from this hallway was a stairwell. On one side, the stairs led up and the other, down.

He decided to go up.

The lights in either stairwell were burned out on this level and the one above which left both sets of stairs shrouded with inky black shadows that seemed to be lying in wait. Was there a cold breeze flowing down the stairs at him? He wondered if he was imagining it.

He hesitated.

Bower knew he had to locate another set of tools or at least another hand held computer before he made his way back to Nadia. The most important thing for him to do was to stay alive. Getting killed before he could rescue her was out of the question. He was useless to her dead. He finally had a chance to impress her, finally had an opportunity to show her how important she was to him. He was going to rescue her no matter what.

Cautiously, he entered the stairway. Apparently, none of the lights in the vast stairwell weren't working at all because it was as dark as pitch even as he looked between the staircases at the higher and lower decks. He crept up slowly, one stair at a time, ears perked, eyes sweeping all around, body tense and perspiring.

_I can't believe I left both axes behind._

Theslightest noise echoed in the quiet stairwell.

If memory served, Bower was almost positive that this deck he was nearing had been the lounge and recreational area for the crew. There were game rooms, movie rooms and several lounges here for the crew to relax. He remembered that most of the lighting on this level had been large, overhead fluorescent lights always brightly lit.

Before entering the cryopods en masse, there had been people buzzing here before, everyone enjoying themselves and hanging out with buddies. The sound of music, people talking, laughing and different movie channels blaring from the different rooms had all meshed together into a pleasant accord.

The area was probably a ghost town now dark, derelict and silent.

He got to the halfway point of the stairs where the switchback was. He peeked around the corner and saw a skull laying on the steps a few steps above him. It had been there quite a long time because the skin and hair appeared to be nearly mummified. On the steps right above it there appeared to be several rib bones and what looked to be a femur. As he continued scanning the stairs, he saw that there were multiple bones scattered all over the stairs. The bones were all old, black and brown mottled from blood stains and stringy bits of gristle that had dried on the surface.

Silent as a shadow, he moved up the stairs, carefully avoiding the bones. The switchback ended at a small junction with a door. Piled up were discarded bones and skulls that nearly completely coated the floor of the cramped junction.

He hesitated again.

Since the bones had all been piled outside this door, it was possible that on the other side lay a lair of hunters, perhaps even a small tribe. Entering here while being armed with only the anti riot weapon was folly at best. He looked up the stairs leading to the next level above him and they were clear. He could see no bones or red flashing signs of obvious danger.

He decided to go up one more level.

Bower tried to remember what deck this was but couldn't. It was probably quarters. The ship was built to house the entire crew comfortably before and after cryo sleep. Each crew member had their own quarters, however cramped and small it might be.

The door to the next level was unlocked when he tried the handle and as he slowly pulled the door opened, the hinges protested noisily.

More darkness.

As his eyes became more and more adjusted to the darkness, Bower saw that he was in a hallway that ran starboard for quite a distance passed the stairwell. He hurried down the hall, passing several quarter doors to the small apartments that housed the crew members.

He reached a set of double doors leading aft that lead him to one of the three dining facilities on board. It was in shambles. Broken dishes, busted up furniture and trash littered the floor. Every scrap of food and water had probably been hastily taken or consumed on the spot.

Passing through the cafeteria, he saw more sets of doors leading to a mechanical room.

* * *

Twenty minutes had passed since Nadia had seen Bower.

She had tried plugging in the electric forklifts into the charging stations once the power had been restored. Every battery that she could find remained dead or was worthless. If she could get one of the forklifts working, she could use it to either pry the door opened or break it down.

What confused her was that the batteries didn't appear to be damaged or simply outdated, they seemed to be completely deteriorated. Some of them were practically melted in their mounts as though they had been sitting there for decades. Was it possible that they had been asleep even longer than she and Manh had theorized? She hoped not.

A frightening thought entered her mind, the terrible idea that the Elysium had drifted right passed their intended destination of Pandorum and was now traveling aimless into deep space. If they had been asleep and the navigation systems and auto piloting systems of the ship weren't working properly, they could have overshot the planet by a vast distance.

Nadia shook the idea from her mind. She needed to focus and find a way to escape.

The rest of the room was devoid of furniture and decorations. Just the forklifts, lockers full of spare parts and tools for maintenance on the forklifts and a few workbenches. Adjacent to each workbench there were pneumatically fed hoses for oil, grease, fluids and also a large plug to charge the forklifts with.

She searched as quickly as she could, determined to find something, anything to help her.

_There has to be SOMETHING!_

"You've been a bad girl," said Gallo from the com unit. "Forget all about your boyfriend and start looking towards the heavens to your God."

Nadia continued searching, "You'd better pray I never get out of here."

"You'll get out when you pledge yourself to me."

"I'm going to kill you when you let me out." Her voice was cold.

He laughed cruelly. "Even when murderous you excite me. I can't wait to touch you."

"It won't do you any good to touch me after I cut off your dick!"

"You should be nice. Your list of friends is getting shorter."

"Just wait until I get out of here," Nadia hollered, "I'm going to kill you!"

"I'm afraid Bower didn't make it."

She held her breath, her body tense. "You're a liar."

Silence.

Bower couldn't be dead. It was impossible. She felt tears welling up and an ache in her heart. What difference did it make whether he was alive or dead? She still had to survive. She still needed to focus and escape.

She willed herself to rifle through the small lockers in the room to look for anything that she might have overlooked but she couldn't. There was a heavy weight pressing down on her and she felt short of breath. Her legs felt weak.

"If it's any consolation," Gallo said quietly, "He died fighting."

"You're lying!" Her voice was weaker than she wanted it to be.

He was silent again but only for a few seconds. Then he shouted at her, "Tell me you haven't done anything stupid!" He was angry. He sounded like a jealous boyfriend. "I knew there was something between you two! I knew it!"

"He can't be dead." Tears fell even though Nadia resisted sobbing. Her legs gave and she sat down hard. She mustn't allow herself to be effected. She should not have allowed herself to get close to anyone. He was gone but she was still alive. She had to go on. She had to try and save the remaining passengers on board. Even as Nadia tried to convince herself to press on, it all seemed futile without Bower.

* * *

Bower stood at the top of the stairs of the nearly sterile mechanical room. There was some rust and residual steam coming from the heat exchangers and some of the hot water pipes but other than that, the lightly painted, well lit room was nearly devoid of dilapidation.

The massive heating, ventilation and air conditioning units stretched a full two stories high. Pipes, gauges and power lines were neatly laid out into parallel layouts with catwalks and walkways intersecting them for easy maintenance. He knew that once he found the aft exit of this massive room, it should lead him to the reactor room.

He squinted in the bright lights and was surprised to see that on the lower level of this room, he could see blankets and makeshift tents. He rushed down the metal stairs and called out for anyone that may still be in the small camp. "Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

He found a desiccated corpse lying on a blanket in one of the tents. All of the body parts were intact and there was no trauma to the bones. As far as he could tell, the person died naturally and no one had buried the body.

He could not dawdle, idly wondering about the history of the ship. Nadia needed his help in getting out of her prison. He rushed through the small human settlement but another body in one of the other tents caught his eye. It was toddler sized. There had been no children aboard the Elysium. The spouses and children of the crew had boarded the Utopia.

He wanted to take the time to investigate and try to find out what had happened to this small band of people that had found a way to avoid the hunters long enough to have children. Too bad there was no time. He had to press on.

Had disease wiped them out? Maybe starvation? He had no idea.

Bower reluctantly continued on to the aft end of the chamber and saw another set of double doors leading reactor room. He fought to keep from looking back at the small pathetic encampment that held unknown information and untold history of the people who had once lived there.

Carefully, he pushed the doors open, slipped into the room and closed the door behind him. No hunters were detected in the massive chamber. He saw that the elevator on this side of the huge reactor room was working again so he entered it and punched the button for two levels below.

The elevator delivered him to the correct level and he recklessly hurried to the room Nadia was trapped in. The bar was still sticking out of the door where he had left it. He could hear her weeping so he rushed to the door to make sure she was safe.

There was a green light on her door indicating it was unlocked. Bower stared at it, thinking he was hallucinating. He blinked a few times, rubbed his eyes and looked at it again. The door was undoubtedly unlocked so Bower opened it.

Nadia sat on the floor, bawling her heart out, deep sobs erupting from her and fat tears falling from her eyes. She gasped when she saw Bower, leaped to her feet staring at him incredulously, hastily wiping the tears from her eyes.

He heard the com unit on the wall. It was Gallo, "How did you get in there, hero? That sneaky fucking infidel! He opened the door! That rotten son of a bitch! Stay away from my queen! Don't you touch her you fuck! I'll kill you! I swear I will fucking kill you!"

Nadia was still staring at Bower as though she were looking at a ghost. She smiled, that lovely wonderful smile.

Gallo continued to rant but all Bower could see and hear was Nadia. He took a few steps towards her, "Are you okay?"

Amazingly, she ran to him and threw her arms around him, hugging him fiercely. "I thought you were dead," she said quietly in his ear. Her breath gave him goosebumps again. She squeezed him so tightly and close that he could scarcely breath but he hugged her back, happy that he was finally able to hold her. She felt so good in his arms that he was speechless. Her body was so warm and she felt almost natural in his arms. He was very disappointed when she abruptly released him. "We have to get to the bridge! We have to stop him!"

Bower wanted to kiss her but he resisted. Instead, he wiped away one of her tears. "Yeah," he told her, "Let's go."

Gallo continued to scream at them even as they left the unlocked room.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Sacrifice

Leland stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the hand gun. The thought of Gallo being armed with a firearm never crossed his mind. With a handgun being aimed at him, he felt like a caveman banging around a wooden stick trying to intimidate someone holding a machine gun.

"Oh that look," Gallo said, visibly trembling with excitement, "I love the look on a person's face when they realize they're about to die."

"Put the gun away," Leland said coldly, "You can show me the look. I'd like to see what you're talking about."

Gallo laughed. "Let me think. Put the gun away and fight you fair while giving you a chance to kill me or I keep the gun and shoot you, giving you no chance of winning. Hmm. I think I'll keep the gun thank you very much."

"Put the gun away. Are you too chickenshit to fight me in a fair fight? Put the gun away you miserable coward."

"No number of insults are going to do you any good. Why don't you drop the sword?"

Leland knew that charging Gallo at this was going to get him a bullet between the eyes. Trying to throw the sword was bad too. By the time he reared back to throw the heavy sword at him, Gallo would have plenty of time to shoot. Running was no good, because Gallo would probably shoot him in the spine, paralyzing him. He reluctantly dropped the sword with a loud clang.

"Good boy." The gun wielding man said happily.

Leland knew that he was in some serious trouble. Desperately, he scanned the room looking for something, anything that could save him.

_Keep him talking._

If he could stall him long enough, perhaps help would arrive in time.

"So what are your plans for the ship? You keep saying you're a God so I figure you gotta have a pretty in-depth plan."

"I don't know how in-depth my plan is but I have a plan." He was still smiling. He seemed to be in high spirits.

"Let's hear it."

"I'm going to get married."

* * *

Manh woke up in a world of hurt. He was in so much pain that when he opened his eyes, his vision blurred. Thankfully, while drifting in and out of consciousness he had been resourceful enough to bandage the bite wound on his abdomen and had managed to stop the bleeding. Otherwise, he probably would have bled to death.

Scarface looked a lot smaller dead than it did alive.

Manh slowly stood and was fell waves of pain throbbing throughout his body. Surprisingly, most of the pain he suffered was from his shoulder instead of his side. His shoulder felt as though his arm was threatening to fall off. The pain was horrible.

The deep wound on his side had a dull ache. Only when he twisted to that side did it smart and bring him to tears. The wound was superficial as long as he was careful.

He felt very fortunate that while he lay unconscious, a hunter child hadn't come by and chewed on his defenseless body.

Each step was painful. He willed himself to press on, to get to the bridge. They were so close to closing this horrible chapter in the ship's history that he couldn't give up. Victory was possible and must be accomplished at all costs.

The labyrinth seemed to go on forever. He estimated where he would have to head starboard but was foiled by a sudden end to the chamber he was in. He had to backtrack a little and head down a flight of stairs. From the stairwell, he could still see the impeding wall on this level, so he was forced to go down yet another level and finally, he saw that there was a hallway heading starboard. He headed in that direction, clutching his side and praying that he wouldn't have to fight until he got to the bridge.

* * *

"Married?" Leland couldn't believe his ears. "Who the fuck would marry– I mean, who's the lucky girl?"

"You know her. She was my queen the moment I laid eyes on her." Gallo was still happy, his voice was thick with revolting affection. Leland wanted to kick him right in the nuts.

There was only one woman that he knew. "Nadia?"

"Oh yes."

Leland struggled to keep from giggling. "You want to marry Nadia?"

"I will marry her and make her my queen. She will be at my side as I rule over our subjects and this ship."

"Nadia?"

Gallo stopped smiling. "Yes. Nadia."

"The same Nadia who runs around with a spear so sharp it can puncture metal armor?"

The other man didn't seem so happy anymore.

Leland couldn't help but continue, "The Nadia that will take her knife to the balls of any man who tries to touch her?"

"Yes." He sounded impatient.

"I'm sorry. I'm just trying to understand. You want to marry the same Nadia who is nearly as strong as a man and as vicious as a hunter? That Nadia?"

"Yes, damn you! Yes, that Nadia. Is it that hard to accept?"

"No. I just don't see her as the marrying type." Leland kept his tone playful, "I mean, you get into an argument with a woman like Nadia and domestic violence is almost certain, you know what I'm saying?"

"She will marry me and be happy. There will be no arguments because my decisions are final."

"Ah okay."

Gallo was staring at him. He seemed to be thinking. "Why?"

Leland wondered if he was having second thoughts. He was tempted to be an asshole and taunt him, but he decided against it. "Oh I was just curious as to how you were gonna reign in a woman like Nadia but it sounds like you've got it under control."

"Of course I do. How many times do I have to tell you people? I am your God."

Leland was slowly edging a little closer to Gallo every time he would answer. It was as though Gallo liked the sound of his own voice. He would move the handgun to the side while speaking so that it wasn't aimed at him anymore but only while he spoke. A plan formed in Leland's mind, if he could get a few steps closer and ask him the right question, Gallo would have to think about his answer and he would attack him while the psycho was distracted.

"Well how do you plan on making her fall in love with you?"

Gallo threw his head back and laughed.

Perfect.

Leland attacked.

As Gallo's eyes were closed during his laugh, Leland was able to take two full steps towards him before he could react. He tried to bring the firearm up to shoot but crossed his arms over his face defensively instead. Leland rammed into him, tackling him to the ground where he heard the satisfactory slamming of the back of Gallo's head on the desk. Leland punched the bastard in the face, making sure he was out but even though unconscious, he fired one shot. The round hit Leland point-blank in the chest.

* * *

Manh moved slowly and silently as possible. He was in another maintennance department, probably the electricians. There were lots of workshops and on the walls were baskets of spools of wire, electronic parts, spare fuses, switches, relays, circuits and everything else that electricians used to maintain and repair the massive ship.

He heard a soft growl and froze.

Further down the passage was a female hunter. It was moving away from him, slowly and quietly, low to the ground. It looked over its shoulder and swished its hindquarters back and forth a few times. That's when Manh noticed the male hunter.

They were courting, the female trying to seduce the male.

The male was distracted standing at it's full height. It was sniffing the air.

_Ah shit._

Surely, it smelled the fresh blood on his bandages.

Manh withdrew, keeping low and sticking to the wall.

Thankfully, the female was able to be more enticing than a meal to the male. He turned from Manh's direction and followed the female close. At this distance, the female almost looked human as she stretched and arched, showing off her breasts and rear like a professional. The male followed her, his attention now zeroed on his mate.

The couple moved further down the hall, hopefully to some place private to breed and Manh took the opportunity to get to past them.

He found some grease at one of the workstations and carefully applied it to his bandages lightly so that none of the chemicals would soak through to his wounds. At least the light grease would partially mask the scent.

He found a central flight of spiraling steps and decided to climb up since the entire corner of this room was bathed in shadow. At the top, it was a half deck overlooking the workstations below and also offices with large windows, probably where management worked. He continued to the next level above.

The staircase ended in a small chamber with a door. Carefully, Manh opened the door and slipped out. He found himself at one of the main corridors leading to the Bridge. He moved as quickly as possible but was more cautious than normal. He was almost to the security station just outside the bridge when he heard the gunshot.

* * *

Leland felt the impact of the round as it punched into his chest. He was unable to breathe. The floor under his knees became soft and watery like quicksand. He felt himself sinking. He fought to stay afloat, above the darkness that spread out below him like a deep ocean.

Gallo was too far to finish off. Leland blinked his dimming eyes trying to focus, his body was heavy and sinking.

Darkness.

He opened his eyes again, realizing that he was cheating death for as long as he could. There had to be a way to go out leaving an impact on the situation they were in. Somehow, he had to help before he expired.

The gun was in Gallo's hand. It was too far for him to even consider attempting to crawl. He was sinking fast, the darkness dragging him slowly into its eternal depths.

Darkness.

He opened his eyes and remembered that the computer was within reach. He was laying on his stomach, not remembering how he got there. He fought to sit up, grabbing the desk and heaving with all the strength he had left. The room was melting around him, fading into a deep darkness. Finally, he could touch the keyboard and saw that Gallo had the access screen to her room opened. He managed to unlock the door before collapsing.

Leland sank into the depths of the darkness and as death embraced him, he saw a bright warm light. He was at peace. For the first time as long as he could remember, there was no pain or worry, no anger or bitterness, just peace.

* * *

Gallo woke up and saw that Leland was dead. Finally, the infidel was dead. The only problem was that since he had been knocked out, he was cheated out of seeing Leland in his last moments. Those moments were the most exquisite.

No matter. He had other things to attend to anyway.

Turning his attention back to the monitor, he could see Nadia struggling the the charging cables of the forklifts. She was so determined, so strong and full energy. He could watch her for hours. Her lean muscular body didn't limit her breasts like it did with a lot of other athletic women. Though she was filthy and full of grease, her neck was smooth and as lovely as a flower petal. The fight for survival charged her with a perseverance that was truly exciting to behold.

Nadia dropped the cables and began searching the workbenches. He decided that he wanted to speak to her.

"You've been a bad girl," he told her from the com unit. "Forget all about your boyfriend and start looking towards the heavens to your God."

She was so engrossed in what she was doing that gave a little start at the sound of his voice then she continued searching as though he was unimportant. "You'd better pray I never get out of here." She muttered to him.

"You'll get out when you pledge yourself to me."

"I'm going to kill you when you let me out." Her voice was cold.

He had a good laugh. She excited him so much. "Even when murderous you excite me. I can't wait to touch you."

"It won't do you any good to touch me after I cut off your dick!"

He would not put it past her. Perhaps Leland had been right after all. "You should be nice. Your list of friends is getting shorter."

"Just wait until I get out of here," Nadia hollered at him, "I'm going to kill you!"

"I'm afraid Bower didn't make it."

He watched as the murderous rage fell away, replaced by disbelief. "You're a liar."

She was in love that that hero bastard. She had to be. Goddamn his soul. He felt the hate bubbling up from inside so he decided to take it out on her.

"If it's any consolation," He told her quietly, "He died fighting."

"You're lying!" Her voice cracked. The rage was filling him up. How dare she love another!

He shouted at her, "Tell me you haven't done anything stupid!" She didn't answer. She was hugging herself looking brokenhearted. He felt so betrayed! How dare she! "I knew there was something between you two! I knew it!"

"He can't be dead." She began to cry softly and collasped to her knees.

The miserable bitch! How dare she love another man! Maybe he would kill her. A wretched and treacherous woman like her couldn't possibly be his queen.

He saw Bower walk into the room. He did a double take and bellowed, "How did you get in there, hero? That sneaky fucking infidel! He opened the door! That rotten son of a bitch! Stay away from my queen! Don't you touch her you fuck! I'll kill you! I swear I will fucking kill you!"

They hugged and Gallo raved turning to Leland's dead body and began to mutilate it with fury.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25 Convergence

Bower followed Nadia through the twisting tunnels and hallways. She was going too fast, traveling too recklessly just as he had when they first got separated. He reached out and gently caught her arm to slow her down.

Nadia shocked him by turning towards him abruptly, stepping close and looking directly into his eyes. Her mouth was inches away from his. "What? she whispered, "What's wrong?"

He stuttered like an idiot.

"I-I was j-just going to tell you-"

She was so close, he could see into the depths of her eyes, the curve of her mouth and the softness of her skin.

She seemed confused by his behavior. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I-I think we should slow down and be more careful. That's all."

Nadia stared at him for a bit longer and he saw a ghost of a smile that was so slight he almost missed it.

"Okay," She told him. "I'll slow down a bit."

As they neared the main corridor, they heard strange sounds. They made eye contact and silently communicated to hide until they were sure what they were dealing with. There were two large trash receptacles in this hall so they both ducked behind them. They risked taking a peek into the main hallway.

What they saw turned their stomachs.

The hunters were mulling around in the hall, apparently waiting for something. There was about six males and seven females plus four hunter children. It was as though the entire remaining hunter population had convened directly into their path.

Nadia spoke directly into his ear. "What are they doing?"

Her breath gave him goosebumps.

Their faces were so close his mouth brushed her face as he moved to whisper into her ear, "To be honest, it looks like they are forming an attack party."

Her lips brushed his throat, "That's terrible."

"Yeah it is." And he kissed her.

Her mouth was hot. Burning hot. She gripped him tightly against her as though she were drowning and he was her only salvation. He felt a rush of arousal through his entire body that he had never felt before, ever. They were gripped in a sort of trance, mouths pressed hard against one another, tongues searching, using every fiber of their being to explore each other. He felt nearly drunk, his head floating, his legs numb and his entire body was tingling. It took a great amount of effort not to make any noise during their embrace. Slowly, after a few seconds that seemed like hours, they came back to their senses and gained control of their desire.

"Wow." She purred.

"Yeah." He was still holding her close.

How irresponsible to be kissing like High Schoolers when certain death was within feet of them.

He pulled her back away from the main hall.

They were as silent as cats, slinking down the narrow side hall, out of earshot.

"Lets crawl right by them using these vents," He told her softly.

"How can you be sure we can get to the bridge from here?"

He thought about it a moment. Getting lost within fifty yards of the bridge in these tight shafts was one of the worst things that could happen to them. Of course, getting killed and eaten by the hunters wasn't a good alternative either. "I noticed some of these vents in the main corridor where the hunters were. I figure if we get far enough away we can climb out without them seeing us."

"You sure you saw those vents?" She seemed unconvinced.

"Positive."

"I was a little too distracted to notice much of anything." She was smiling. She was flirting!

"Me too." He returned the smile wanting to pull her close but they needed to get moving.

"Okay," she was serious again. "You lead the way."

Since they were going to be within feet of the hunters, they refreshed the coat of scent-masking grease on their exposed skin. Their slick hands and feet made it a little difficult to pull themselves along in the shaft but they managed to do so making without making a sound.

They passed within a few feet of the loitering hunters without incident.

Bower looked out every time they passed one of the vents. The hall was beginning to look familiar to him. Only when he was positive that they were far enough down the corridor away from the hunters, did he remove the vent and crawl out.

"I think those hunters are waiting for Scarface," He told her quietly as he helped her out of the vent.

"Who?"

"Scarface. The big one. The leader."

"Ah."

"I wonder where he is?"

She was looking around nervously. "I wonder where we are."

Bower headed fore and saw the previously locked door to the Flight Team 5 common area. The door slid open with a soft hiss and he saw the security terminal to the port side and straight ahead was the locker room where he had first saw his reflection. Starboard of the locker room and out of his line of sight at the moment was his and Payton's cryopods. Heading port, he moved into the small security area where the scratched and scarred door to the Bridge had been locked tight.

There were two dead hunters here, recently shot. By the door, Manh had propped himself up.

They both rushed to his side, careful to avoid moving into the motion sensor of the door to the Bridge. They didn't want the doors opening prematurely, giving Gallo fair warning that they were there.

"You look like shit." Bower whispered to Manh.

"Thank you."

"How are you feeling? You look weak." Nadia was concerned for him.

"I am okay."

"Listen, we can handle Gallo," Bower reasoned with him, "Why don't you sit this one out?"

"I wouldn't rush in just yet. It seems he has a firearm."

"Yeah he does," Bower agreed, studying the dead hunters. Maybe they rushed him and killed him. Maybe Gallo took out several marauding hunters but was overrun. He could only hope. "I'll go first," he told Nadia. "We'll go in quiet, fast and low. I'll shoot him with the anti riot weapon to stun him, then we'll disarm him. Okay?"

"If he starts shooting, both of you better get the hell out of there." Manh warned.

"Ready?" Nadia asked.

Bower went to the door just outside the motion sensor. After Nadia nodded that she was ready, he went in low and fast, charging up the short flight of steps then passed the computer systems and passed the Flight Officers' offices. The entrance was narrow because it was packed with monitoring equipment, navigation systems, computer displays and other astronautical technology.

The main room opened up and held three distinct chair stations stemmed with keyboards, switch panels and monitors. The operators could lean back in these flight chairs and fly the entire ship.

Most of the lights were broken here so the Bridge looked like it had been painted black, all the corners of the room and furniture cloaked in what looked like black canvas.

"Where's is he?" Nadia said.

"I don't know." Bower said. He headed straight for the computer area. "The flight log should tell us far long we've been out and how far we've gone."

Nadia continued to the bow. "The shields are open. I can see out."

"Almost got it." Bower assured her. He was typing like a maniac, trying to bypass all of the required security and all of the error messages. No one had operated this computer in a long time. The keys on the keyboard were brittle, the depression underneath the keys slowed by dust and grime.

"Oh my God."

Bower turned. "What is it? What's wrong?" He saw her looking up and out through the Bridge windows.

"Where are the stars?" She asked. She looked at him.

Bower heard the gunshot and saw Nadia buckle over.

_No!_

Everything happened in slow motion. Nadia gripped her midsection with both hands crying out as she fell. Gallo stood from the Captain's chair. It was still dark so all Bower could make out was his silhouette.

Bower yelled, "No!" and brought up the anti riot weapon.

Gallo spun towards him taking aim.

Nadia fell to her knees. She was falling forward into the dark side of the room. She was going to fall where he couldn't see her.

_No!_

Bower fired. The charge struck the chair next to Gallo, sparks and fabric were torn up and thrown.

Gallo pulled the trigger but was rewarded with a click.

There was a brief pause of uncertainty for both men.

Nadia crumpled, he could see blood spilling over her hands as she tried to slow her bleeding.

Bower charged at Gallo screaming like a maniac.

Gallo pulled the trigger again. Click. He squeezed off another shot. Click.

Bower tackled him. He launched himself from about five feet away, diving headfirst, slamming into Gallo with a hard crunch. The insane man was picked up off his feet and driven hard against the wall behind him. Bower saw a bright flash in his eyes upon impact. He didn't care. Gallo was responsible for killing most of the crew and now he had just shot Nadia. Bower would going to kill him even if he had to do it with his bare hands.

"Why are you fighting against me, hero?" Gallo's voice was surprisingly calm.

"I'm gonna fucking kill you!"

"I was younger than you when I first came on board," the murderer continued pleasantly as they struggled, "It's funny because I can't remember what life was like before this flight began. It's all I have."

"You're the one that received the final transmission. You stayed awake, you broke the rotation and killed the crew!" Bower struggled to get his hands around Gallo's neck. The murderer looked at Bower curiously.

"How the hell would you know that?" He pulled Bower's clawing hand from off his face and pulled his closer so that Bower couldn't get any leverage for a hard punch or kick. "If that infidel hadn't spilled it, would you still be as angry at me now?"

"Shut your fucking mouth!"

"There's no one left to judge me. You are suffering son. I can see it in your face. I've been there."

Bower twisted and pulled, grabbed and fought trying to punch Gallo below him, trying to shut him up. He wanted to cause injury, he wanted to take out all of his aggression out on Gallo not only for revenge but also because he needed the murderer either dead or incapacitated so that he could help Nadia. She was going to die if he couldn't get to her and Gallo was his only roadblock. He was realizing slowly that the murderer was stronger than he was and that he might not be able to overpower him despite his desperation and anger.

Gallo continued speaking as though he was instructing a classroom full of students, "Just imagine for a minute, imagine yourself without the chains of your morality. You might surprise yourself. It's like the ultimate freedom."

"No, you fucking psychotic!" Bower yelled in his face, "This isn't freedom! This is a holocaust!"

"I know it's frightening at first, terrifying in fact. Isn't that what you're feeling right now?" He shrugged off a half thrown punch that Bower managed to get in. He pulled him closer, his grip nearly suffocating. "Aren't you suffering from a terrible fear right now?"

"Don't try to compare yourself to me you piece of shit!"

"No? We're not the same, hero? You think you're different than I am?"

"I'm nothing like you!"

Gallo laughed, "You are still resisting. You have to let go of your petty concept of reality." They both strained as Gallo pulled Bower's hand from his throat so he could continue with his rationale. "This ship is a seed from which we can create a new world. You or me hero. It doesn't matter which but one of us is going to be responsible for what happens to this ship and the rest of the crew."

"What the fuck are you talking about? Shut up!" Bower was tiring. He was panting and sweating from the exertion.

"A new world, hero. You ready to take the reigns from me? Are you ready to put the future of this ship and your friends into your hands instead of mine?"

Bower slowed his attacked, breathing heavy. He couldn't believe the amount of bullshit that Gallo was shoveling. "I thought that you were a lunatic but I see now that you're not."

"Never was. Are you finally beginning to understand what I'm trying to tell you?"

"You're not insane. You're just a miserable coward who was so selfish and narrow-minded that when you lost your family, you wanted everyone to feel your pain. If you couldn't be happy then no one else was going to be happy either. Isn't that it?"

Gallo stared at him. His mouth moved but no words came out.

"You call yourself a God? You're a fucking child!"

Tears streamed from Gallo's eyes. "My family."

"We could have been your family, you stupid fuck. We all lost our families too. All you did instead was throw a fucking tantrum and doomed us all. You're a pathetic excuse for a man."

"I see my words are falling upon deaf ears." Gallo said regrettably.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: Farewell

Manh drifted in and out of consciousness as he lay outside the Bridge door. His body was on fire but not in a feverish sense, the heat he felt in his body was similar to a hard work out. His muscles and tissues burned with exertion, working to heal themselves, hurrying to knit together the damage that had been suffered. The accelerant in his body was repairing him at an alarming rate.

He had dozed off, feeling happy now that Bower and Nadia were going to finally capture the bridge when he heard a hunter's scream. He looked at the door to common area and he could see a hunter's head looking at him through the partially opened door. That door had been locked tight by Bower just minutes before. Twenty feet separated them, so he began to doubt what he was looking at.

Manh stared at the hideous beast and it stared back.

_Am I actually seeing this or am I dreaming?_

He closed his eyes, shook his head, opened his eyes again and he saw the hunter was still there. The creature had a misshapen head. It was flat and small like a feline's, eyes further apart than a humans. It was dark, a charcoal black on the face and top of the head with the familiar pale skin all around and the red eyes that glared at him hungrily.

A female?

Now that he was waking up a little more, Manh saw that it was struggling to get through the door and that several other hunters outside the room were pulling and prodding the door trying to get it open. They were coming through.

_Oh shit._

Manh reached up to the com unit over his head and shouted a warning to Bower and Nadia, "They are coming through!"

Blackface got it's shoulders through the narrow opening, one of arms clawing and pulling itself the rest of the way through the door.

Although his body was wracked with pain, Manh leaped to his feet and hobbled into the bridge. He locked the door behind him. This door would only buy them a few minutes. They would find a way to get through this door as well.

Manh didn't hear either of his friends so he quietly made his way up the stairs.

* * *

Gallo stood, picking Bower up like he weighed nothing and latched both hands around his throat squeezing. Bower clawed at his face, kicked him in the nuts and yanked as hard as he could on Gallo's arms but it was all futile. His larynx was being crushed.

He was terrifyingly powerful, insanity fueling his strength to super human levels.

"I guess you're not worthy of succeeding me." Gallo appeared genuinely disappointed.

Bower was getting light headed. His vision was clouding.

Suddenly, he was released. The hands around his throat fell away and Bower saw Gallo reaching behind himself gasping in pain.

Bower hit him as hard as he could in the mouth. He felt a bone in his hand break as he landed a solid punch that knocked Gallo on his ass. The murderer landed on his side unconscious and then Bower could see that Nadia had thrown her knife deep into Gallo's back.

"Bower." Nadia called to him weakly.

He rushed to her side. Horrible thoughts of losing her pummeled him even as he tried to think positively. He had just managed to gain her trust and affection. Losing her now would be so unfair and unjust that the entire cosmos would be held responsible. "Just relax," He soothed, coughly lightly. "I'm going to fix you right up."

"We've already crashed." She whispered.

"What?"

"We've been on Pandorum all this time."

He gently rolled her onto her back and carefully bandaged her. He was relieved to see that her bleeding had already slowed on its own considerably. She was going to make it.

_Thank God._

"Bower." She reached for him.

He caught her hand and kissed it.

"You're not listening." She smiled at him patiently. "We're here. We've already landed."

"They are coming through!" They heard Manh's voice over the intercom.

Bower looked up above them out the large bow windows. At first the strange sea life swimming past the windows of the bridge didn't seem real. It took him a couple of seconds to comprehend what he was seeing. They were underwater, deep underwater. A large school of small, brightly glowing fish swam directly overhead.

It was the most beautiful thing Bower had ever seen.

"We've been on Pandorum this whole time?" He asked wonderously.

"I guess this thing really does land itself." Gallo coughed, blood dripping from his mouth. He released the empty clip from the firearm and slapped a fresh one into the weapon chambering the round and aiming at Bower. "Doesn't float too well though does it?"

Bower felt Nadia's hand tighten around his own.

"You should see the look on your faces." Gallo said smiling. "Since you won't let go of your fear. I'm going to help you. This is where I will push you through to enlightenment." He aimed the weapon at Nadia.

Bower shielded her with his body.

He looked down at her, into her eyes expecting a round to slam into him at any time. Silently, desperately he tried to mentally convey his feelings to her, knowing that he wasn't going to get a second chance.

Nadia stared back, her face full of fear.

The gun roared.

They both flinched in unison.

The round hit the glass overhead, ricocheted off and punched harmlessly into the wall plate. The glass creaked and groaned as a small crack formed.

Bower and Nadia both looked back at Gallo and saw him with one of Manh's swords stuck into the side of his head. Still smiling, Gallo slowly sunk to his knees then fell over dead, his blood spreading quickly. Manh had nearly split his skull in half.

For the second time in his life, Bower had never been so happy to see another man.

"Am I interrupting?" The stocky man asked them, grinning.

Nadia laughed softly.

"If you were so badly wounded, I hug you." Bower told him, smiling back. His smile vanished when he realized water was dripping down onto his head from the cracked glass. It was ice cold.

"They are coming in." Manh told them. "They are probably right outside the bridge door by now."

"We've got worse problems than that," Nadia countered. She was watching the crack overhead, trying to sit up to get away from the dripping water.

"There's no way," Bower said simply. He was staring at the glass in disbelief.

"I locked the bridge door of course," Manh assured them, "But they can still pry it open just like they did to the other one."

"If we can find out where Gallo hid the codes, couldn't we use the ship's computer to kill them? I mean, he made it seem pretty easy as he was using it to try and kill us." Nadia limped to the nearby Captain's chair, one hand over her wound.

"Structure wise, this is impossible." Bower said. He was trying to get his mind around how a round from such a light weapon could crack glass that was designed for atmospheric entry and to withstand the constant vacuum of deep space.

Manh leaned against the wall looking exhausted.

"I don't see anything on the computer so far," Nadia told them.

Bower turned to the flight log and saw 221 years. The flight was a 123 year flight so theoretically, they had been submerged in the ocean of Pandorum for nearly 100 years. That explained why some of the dead on board had been so ancient looking, how the dust all over the ship was so thick, how the reactor had gone offline by itself and how the glass on the bow had possibly become brittle after nearly a century of salt water damage.

The water was trickling in. Not dripping anymore, it was trickling.

"We've got to get to the cryopods." He told them. He pryed the freshly loaded handgun from Gallo's stiff fingers. "Both of you follow me."

The glass split even more, the water trickling down in several different spots in the glass. The windows were groaning under the massive strain, making a haunted sound of torture.

"Move!" Bower yelled.

They headed down the stairs to the door and Bower opened it, weapon at the ready with Nadia and Manh behind him, helping each other along. Blackface was kneeling at one of the dead hunters, gorging itself. It snarled viciously at them. Another hunter was just making it into the room at the common area door.

Bower shot Blackface in the head.

He trained the weapon on the other hunter as it shrieked at them. "Move! Go! Hurry!"

The two wounded made their way to the cryopods.

Bower guarded the door watching the hunter. It began to feed on Blackface's body. He heard the glass shatter and could feel the pressure and the temperature changing in the room as the ice cold water gushed in.

Manh climbed into Payton's pod. Nadia was getting into his.

He saw the hunter recoil in fear as the bridge door buckled under the massive weight of the ocean. Thin streams of water squirted through at high pressure around the edges of the door.

Bower hit the open button on Cooper's pod, then quickly typed in the emergency launch code for Manh's pod. It moved upwards into an air tight chamber in the ceiling. The pod would be sealed within the chamber then launched at high velocity away from the ship.

Cooper's pod didn't open.

He saw the overhead door seal behind Manh's pod. With a loud popping and hissing, the pod was launched. Manh was safely on his way to the surface.

The terrified hunter bolted for the common room door leaping over another hunter that had reversed direction and was trying to get back into the main corridor.

"What's wrong?" Nadia yelled over the loud roar of the water fountain in the next room.

Bower turned to close the door to the cryopod room. As the door slid closed, he heard the Bridge door give and a massive wall of water flooded through the security area and into the common room.

He hit the open button on Cooper's pod.

It wasn't opening.

_What the fuck?_

He felt butterflys of panic in his stomach.

"Hurry!" Nadia screamed at him.

The cryopod room door at his side buckled inwards, water spraying from the seams, drenching him in an instant. It was going to give at any second.

He dove into Nadia's pod, crowding in, she was pulling him in as far as he could go. He typed the emergency launch code just as the door burst.

They were battered from the icy water.

The pod door slid closed, but there was a lot of water trapped in the pod with them. His face was barely clear of the water level but as the pod lifted into the ceiling, the water splashed around, dunking him under repeatedly. Nadia was kicking and twisting behind him, clawing at his shoulders. He turned from the small pod window, facing her and saw that she was having trouble keeping her head above the water. He grabbed her and lifted her higher than him. She coughed violently.

He was on his toes and still was having trouble breathing without sucking water into his lungs. His hearing kept cutting off as the water sloshed over his head.

"We need to get out of here!" Nadia yelled. She was panicked.

"Hold on." He coughed.

The dim yellow glow of the pod's control console gave very little illumination, but it was just enough for them to see.

Bower heard the air lock door close beneath them. They would launch within seconds. "Get ready." He spit water out of his mouth. "The waters going to get really rough when we launch!"

There was a loud pop then a strange hissing as the pod lurched violently upwards, the force of the launch driving them downwards underneath the water. He fought the urge to panic, planting his feet firmly and used his legs to push them above the water level. Both of them were coughing and choking.

"Not like this! We can't die like this!" She cried.

He tried to lift her higher, "Hold on!"

They were coughing and frantic, both of them aware that they could easily drown within the safe confines of the cryopod.

It was still pitch black outside the pod window. They had a long way to go and his legs were tiring under the constant downward pressure.

Bower let her go, searching around them for the breathing mask. She sank below the water but clawed her way back up coughing and spitting. He tried to put the mask over her face.

"No!" She protested, "No, I can't!"

He was able to force the mask over her face. "Just breathe!" He yelled to her.

The mask would seal itself and release a small amount of gas designed to put the wearer to sleep. It would then regulate her breathing. Nadia sank peacefully under the water, breathing calmly. She looked like an angel in her sleep.

Bower took in as deep of a breath as he could manage, and sank below the water level, resting his cramping legs. He kept his eyes closed and tried to remain calm, massaging his legs for the work ahead.

After his lungs began to burn, he planted his feet and pushed himself up, sucking in as much water as air. Coughing and spitting, he saw that there was some light outside the pod window. They were almost there. He fought for several more drawn-out seconds, then saw bright sunlight from the pod window.

_Almost there._

The pod shifted as it broke the surface of the water tossing him and Nadia around. It landed and immediately rolled with the door upwards, automatically correcting itself to allow the passengers to be able to exit. Bower pulled the heavy emergency release handle and the door shot away from the pod and he was bathed in sunshine for the first time in almost a century. He breathed in deeply the clean air of Pandorum.

He lifted Nadia up, cradling her in his arms and gently removed the mask. He stared at her, surprised. The salt water had removed the grease and grime from her face. For the first time, he saw her clean. She was even more breathtaking than he imagined. Her eyelids fluttered open, she looked at him with her lovely blue eyes and she smiled at him.

"Just breathe," He assured her, smiling. He kissed her lightly, "It's safe to wake up now."


	27. Chapter 27

Personal Message to the readers:

I just want to thank all of you that took the time to leave positive feedback. It was what has kept me motivated to keep on with the story. I'm glad that you have such good things to say about my work and your requests have pushed me into an expansion that I have been thinking about. It's time to put my thoughts into words. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks again.

Chapter 27: Pandorum

Bower looked up from Nadia at the beautiful ocean all around them. He could see looming cliffs and a white sand beach on shore but they were still a half of a mile out. The terrain almost completely encircled them so it was a large bay that the ship had landed in. The immediate water by the shoreline was such a bright aqua that it seemed more like an artist's rendition rather than actual beach. The air was extraordinarily fresh and it had a faint sweet smell like a blossum. The pod was bobbing slightly in the small swells but for the most part, it was serene.

_This is a hell of a lot better than being chased by hunters._

"Is that Manh?" Nadia asked. She had sat up and was looking at something floating on the horizon. Bower saw that it was Manh and he was waving to them. "Why is he so far away?"

"Maybe he changed trajectory because of the launch in water?" He reasoned.

The built in computer inside the pod was flashing a message 'Hull Breach: Emergency Evacuation'. The ocean around them began to explode with pods, white bubbles and water splashing as they shot up from the depths.

"What are we going to do with all of them?" Nadia worried. "We can't wake them all up out here can we?"

"We have to get to shore first."

Nadia frowned at him. "But what about all these people floating out here? We can't just-"

"We have to save ourselves first. We don't know where the current is headed. It could drag right out of the bay and into the open ocean. We have to get to shore."

Nadia looked around at all of the cryopods around them, floating like coffins above a deep expanse of water that was alien to them. She sighed. She met Bower's gaze, "You're right. We're not to be any use to any of them if we all get swept out to sea."

"I know it's shitty saving them all from a horrible death of being eaten by the hunters just to leave them out here to chance but we can try to organize a rescue plan once we get on dry land."

She nodded.

Manh had removed a metal plate from his pod and was using it as a paddle.

Since each cryopod had served as an escape pod, on top of each pod and on the bottom were small storage spaces stuffed with emergency and survival supplies. Nadia surfed through the computer's pod commands on the small console while Bower tried to figure out how to open the bottom storage compartment.

"Ahoy!" Manh called. He was within a dozen yards now and looked exhausted. Rowing must have been tough with his damaged shoulder.

Nadia beamed at him.

"It's good to see you, Manh." Bower told him.

"I think we need to all get in one pod." Manh offered, "Easier to row."

"Agreed." Bower nodded.

All of the water was drained from the interior of their pod and was expelled out the bottom in a powerful jet. "Hey I found out how to drain the pod." Nadia informed them.

"Can you find propulsion system on there?" Manh hoped.

"Not yet."

Manh watched Bower attempting to get the storage compartment open for a few seconds then said, "If you get that opened, my friend, will you not lose some of the contents if they spill out into the water?"

Bower thought about it. "Good point," he admitted. "I was hoping there was an oar packed in there."

"I thought about suggesting that we should swim for it," Manh revealed thoughtfully, "but we have no idea what kind of predators are swimming around below us."

"The computer says the current is taking us towards shore. All we have to do is wait." She smiled at them.

"That is good news, Nu." He yawned, "I am going to take a nap. Wake me when we get closer to shore."

The bright warm sun was low in the sky as dusk was approaching but the rays were still slowly drying them off. Bower had a lot of things to worry about once they got to shore but he didn't want to worry about them until he absolutely had to. Right now, he wanted to focus his attention on Nadia. He sat down and leaned back in the pod and she lay acrossed his body, her head resting on his chest.

This new world was going to be a challenge, they were all well aware but with Nadia at his side, Bower felt that he could conquer anything set up against him.

"I'm not worried about settling in on this planet," she confessed, seemingly reading his thoughts.

"I'm not either."

"We're going to have to find fresh water, a food source and shelter. I can see the beautiful waterfall from here which is fresh water, there are plenty of trees for shelter and there is probably dehydrated meals in the emergency kits on board our pods."

"So the main thing we have to focus on is finding or building a permanent shelter. I can't wait to finally get some sleep."

"You want to sleep?" she asked, puzzled.

"Aren't you sleepy? When is the last time you've slept?" Was it possible the accelerant was so severe that it rendered sleep unnecessary? The possibilities were astounding if that turned out to be true.

"I haven't slept in two days," she admitted.

"Well this will be our first opportunity."

"Yes," she agreed quietly against his chest. "Our first opportunity."

He thought about what she was saying for a few moments and it finally registered. She was flirting again. "Wow," he told her grinning and they kissed.

"What is that?" They heard Manh call out from his pod.

Reluctantly, they let each other go and Bower sat up. "What did you say, Manh?"

"What the fuck is that?" Manh asked. He was pointing downwards.

Bower leaned over and looked down into the bright turquoise water. The water wasn't bright right between the two pods. There was a long dark spot there instead and it looked as though it were following the pods. At first glance, he thought it was a shadow, so he looked up. Nothing in the sky. His hair nearly stood on end when he realize that the large dark thing was underwater.

Manh's cryopod was still a good thirty feet away from theirs and the thing easily stretched out between them. The water was so clear that Bower realized it had to down pretty deep below them for them to not be able to make out what is was so it would be bigger once it neared the surface.

_Holy shit._

"I am full of fear at the moment, my friend." Manh admitted. "That thing is huge."

As they watched, it turned under them, positioning itself behind Manh's pod. Once it had turned, Bower could make out that it was in the shape of a fish.

His hair was standing on end.

"I can see it!" Manh called out, "It is not deep underwater it is near the surface. It can camouflage itself, bend the sunlight off its scales or something, it is incredible!"

"What are you talking about?" Bower asked.

Nadia seemed very interested in this fish that could appear only as a shadow just under the surface of the water. Bower wondered if the strange fish was completely invisible underwater.

"It's a peacock blue, with a pink stripe down the side, yellow eyes, small black spots and it's got teeth. It's shaped like a..."

"Like a what?"

"A shark!"

Seeing a thirty foot shark was enough to make even the bravest's blood run cold. Seeing a thirty foot shark that could camouflage itself that was swimming just below the surface within a few feet was enough to cause temporary insanity.

"Even if it surfaces out of curiosity, we're going to be capsized," Nadia said grimly.

They continued watching it, studying it closely, absolutely mesmerized by it due to its potential danger. It was mind over manner, each of them mentally willing the shark to not bump the pod or attempt to surface or attack.

Bower's gaze was so intense upon the beast that his eyes began to water.

Suddenly, almost violently, the shark turned away from them, causing loud splashing. He didn't see any waves though. Puzzled, Bower looked around and realized what he was hearing was the waves on the beach. They had reached the shore.

The sand was so white and bright that it hurt their eyes. Passed the beach the sand slowly tossled with grasses that were a dark green and eventually termminated into dark earth flanked with shrubs and small trees. Beyond that tree line were taller, fuller trees, their branches stretching out like long arms trying to capture the soft warm of the sunlight.

They heard birds singing, but not like any birds they had ever heard before. Their songs were encircled by the canopy of trees deep in the jungle so that they were echoing softly like distant chanting.

There were other strange sounds wood knocks, strange animal calls, insects buzzing and the soft hiss of the gentle breeze sweeping through the foliage with deft fingers. Against the dark underbelly of the jungle the sky seemed a deeper blue than it had been on earth, the trees perhaps a deeper green and the flowers blooming from the short shrubs and plants cluttering at the foot of the massive trees were more brilliant and lovely colors than earth flowers.

Of course, Bower couldn't remember much of earth anymore so his perception of the Pandorum vegetation was speculative at best.

"This is our home." Nadia said. It almost sounded as though she were asking a question.

The cryopod made contact with the sand, and it spun with the power of the waves, threatening to roll over.

Bower hopped out into knee high water, amazed at how crystal clear it was, and began to pull on the pod, trying to drag it up the sand. Nadia helped but even working together the pod proved to be too heavy for them to move.

Bower popped open the top hatch of the storage container while they tried to steady the pod in the soft waves. He found a thin nylon rope amoung the other survival items that he tied to the pod and then tied the other end to a small shrub effectively anchoring it so that at least it wouldn't be dragged back out to sea. He then emptied the top compartment and dumped the contents further up the beach near the tree line.

Nadia was helping Manh anchor his pod. After he emptied the bottom compartment of survival gear, he helped Manh carrying the contents of both of the storage units on his pod as well.

A quick inventory told them they had two bath towels, six flares, two flare guns, two swiss style knives with multiple tools built into them, two lighters, two soft blankets, two sets of thermal under garments, two flashlights, several days worth of dehyrated food and four gallons of purified water. One of the survival kits contained a few fishing hooks, some fishing line and a few bars of soap. The other contained a small mirror and a small saw. Not much to go on but it would be plenty for them to survive for a few days.

They made sure that everything was in working condition. The only problems they discovered were one of the flashlight's batteries had burst inside it, rendering it useless and some of the dehydrated food packets were rock hard.

Taking a few steps into the wild jungle, Bower noticed a plant that was nearly as tall as he was with a large beautiful dark purple flower on top of it, similar to a sunflower on earth. There were short spines or spikes hidden between the petals along the outer face of the flower and as he studied it closer, he saw that they were teeth and the center of the flower was actually a rudimentary mouth. He remained at a safe distance, or at least what he thought would be safe.

Manh was especially interested in the large plant but he too kept at a distance from it. "It must be a carnivorous plant. Amazing. It is not any species that I know of."

"Well maybe we should stay away from it until we know what kind of meat it likes to eat. Hopefully, humans aren't part of it's diet." Bower decided.

"Agreed. I do wish to study this plant more indepthly as soon as I can."

The sun was rapidly retreating from the sky so they would have to wait until morning to attempt a recovery mission of the other pods.

They found that the large trees only had a few very thick low branches on each one. The branches were nearly as thick as the trunk was in girth and each branch had a deep groove that ran the length of each limb on the topside. The groove was easily enough to cradle a person within it, preventing the person from rolling out. Most of the limbs had also grown at such a slight angle that a person wouldn't slide towards the trunk either.

"I say we sleep here in the trees for the night and get an early start tomorrow." Bower offered.

They were in agreement.

Manh grabbed one of the blankets and climbed onto one branches bidding them goodnight.

Nadia retrieved the other blanket and did the same.

Bower felt foolish. He didn't want to assume that he and Nadia were going to share a bed but every fiber in his body was telling him to climb after her as fast as he could. He resisted the urge, determined to be a gentleman for as long as he could.

After a few seconds, Nadia peered down at him from her bed. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, definitely."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Survival

The morning was gray, cool and full of noises and sounds of life waking up at the crack of dawn. The waves of the nearby beach rolling in, birds singing, more insect noises, strange chirps, distant hoots, echoing calls of the indigenous life woke Bower up.

Waking up with Nadia's nude body draped around him seemed like a dream, nearly too good to be true. The blanket was large enough for both of them to lie on and still fold it over them both to keep them warm. They had to be very careful because of the wound she had suffered.

Nadia woke as soon as he did. She smiled at him.

"Good morning." She whispered.

"Morning."

"I thought all of this was a dream. A wonderful dream. I was afraid I was going to wake up this morning back on board the Elysium."

"Well we're here now. This is real." He hugged her tightly. "How does your wound feel?"

"It's already healing. The shot passed all the way through but I don't think it hit any major organs or I would be in a lot worse shape. I was very fortunate."

"You awake yet?" Manh called out to them. He was somewhere below them.

"Yeah. What's up?" Bower yawned.

"Nothing. I was just watching this plant and I was attacked."

They scrambled to get dressed. "Are you okay?" Nadia was worried.

"Yes, I am fine. The predator was an unlikely one. It could be a serious problem for us."

Bower climbed down the tree looking for something dead. All he could see was a small shrub with spikes sticking out of it laying at Manh's feet. When he looked closer, he saw that it wasn't spikes but legs he was looking at. It was an giant ant lying on it's back, legs and jaws curling towards the sky.

The ant was the color of dark plum, with tiny hairs all over it's body. It's long and heavy mandibles were open and Bower could see how sharp they were. It was probably two feet long, probably very fast and strong for it's size. How Manh had managed to kill it was a testament to the man's raw toughness.

"This one was probably a scout," Nadia said, studying the dead insect closely, "The nest is probably a few miles from here."

"Miles?" Bower asked.

"Even the smaller species of ants back on earth could travel several hundred yards from their nest to forage. At this size, traveling a few miles would be standard."

"Holy shit."

"What do you think these ants eat, Nu?"

She was actually touching the damn thing.

"I would think they are like normal ants. Most of them are omnivorous. The constricted gaster means that this one is a sort of Plectroctena. See? Here on the metasoma, instead of an ovipositor, it has a modified stinger."

Bower looked at Manh who was looking back at him with a blank stare and for the first time, Bower felt on a mental level, they were both equally clueless. "Have you seen anymore of them or just this one?"

"Only this one so far but these ants are not our only concern." Manh started towards the beach, wincing slightly from all of his injuries. "Follow me."

"We need to check your wounds, change your bandages." Nadia told him.

"Why don't you rest," Bower told her. "I can take care of Manh."

Nadia looked so vulnerable wrapped in the bandages they tore from the thermal clothing which proved to be perfect for covering wounds with. "Okay." She agreed and turned to continue studying the insect.

Manh lead him on the short walk to the beach and Bower saw that hundreds of the cryopods had washed ashore during the night. Hundreds. Some of them were clustered like mussels, black and piled together. The tide must have been high at night because most of them had been beached on the sand, high away from the insistent waves including their own empty ones.

Even in the early morning before the sun had risen, the magnificent ocean was something to behold.

"Sleep well last night?" Manh asked him. He was smiling shrewdly.

Bower chuckled. "You could say that."

"I am happy for both of you."

"Thanks, bud."

"Mostly happy for you. It is not often you encounter a woman whose brains match her beauty."

"I still can't believe we're together. I guess saving each other's lies over and over again had something to do with it."

They shared a laugh. As quickly as they had jested, they became serious again, conveying the task before them.

After a few moments of silence, Manh asked, "So what is your plan?"

"My plan?"

"Yeah. How do you want to go about it?"

"I was thinking of letting you and Nadia come up with something."

"You are the leader now, my friend. You have to make the hard decisions."

Bower didn't know how he felt about assuming so much responsibility. "How am I the leader?"

"I just assumed you would be. You have done a great job so far."

"I have?"

Manh nodded sincerely. "I will be your right hand man. You can count on me."

Bower looked at him thoughtfully. This was all happening so fast but he knew they had to get the ball rolling. "Okay. I think we should wake up small groups at first. Get them oriented. It will be easier to deal any problems if there are only a few people being awakened each day."

"Sounds good. How do you want to pick?"

"I think some lower ranked military personnel would be best. They're trained to follow orders and get things done. I would like to wake up at least one medical doctor as well. Let's fan out and get what we need."

Manh asked him, "What about breaking the bad news to them?"

"About earth?"

"About everything. What happened aboard the Elysium, what happened to the Utopia and earth. All their friends, families, all their loved ones are gone."

Bower had been thinking about what he would tell the people that they woke up so he already had an idea of how to handle it. "We'll tell them about the earth and the Utopia. All they need to know about the Elysium was that we crash landed for now. We'll fill them in after they've had a chance to recover from the first round of bad news."

Manh nodded. "See? You make good decisions, my friend."

After a few moments of combing the beach and searching cryopods Manh called over to Bower, "I found a Sheldon Cornhol, Medical Division General Practioner."

"Dr. Cornhol?" Bower couldn't help but chuckle, "Really?"

"Yep. I am going to wake him up. I think he might be the only doctor we have."

"Yeah. I found a few medics and nurses but no doctors." Bower had also noticed something else while checking all of the cryopods that may be a problem in the future development of the colony but decided not to mention it right away.

It took a few minutes to wake up the eleven people that they had chosen. The ten Privates were a lot quicker to adapt to their dire situation than Dr. Cornhol was. The good doctor writhed and whimpered for ten minutes straight, insisted they call him Dr. Corn then he had the nerve to ask for a glass of water. Blond, tanned, lean, tall and good looking, Dr. Corn was going to have to suck it up. He got even more forlorn after he heard about the earth and the Utopia.

"While we wait on the Doc to finish carrying on, why don't you troops start getting the rest of these pods anchored down." Bower ordered.

"I need a drink." Corn whimpered.

"You want me to put him back into the cryopod?" Manh asked Bower.

"That won't be necessary." Dr. Corn snapped, "Just give me a couple of minutes will you?"

"Sure." Bower watched the soldiers using team work and carrying the cryopods to higher ground. It was going to be a long, hard day.

Bower and Manh hunkered down trying to figure out how to use some of the metal from the pods to fashion weapons. The handgun that Bower carried wasn't very reliable since it only had a few shots remaining and the ammunition was so old. The anti riot gun that lasted him the entire time on board, was ruined by the sea water during their escape. Melee weapons were going to have to be manufactured to keep everyone within the colony safe until they could come up with something better.

One of the Privates broke away and came over to Bower then stood at parade rest: feet were shoulder width apart, crossed hands placed in the small of the back with all fingers together and pointing straight, head and eyes looking straight to the front. "Sir, may I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead." Bower told him.

The kid was probably nineteen, dark hair and dark eyes. He was taller than Bower was and probably heavier. Apparently, he was the leader of the small band of troops they had awaken. "We were wondering where the rest of the pods are, sir."

"What's your name, soldier?"

"Private Bonds, sir."

"Well Private Bonds, it's a long tragic story what happened aboard the Elysium. Right now we have to focus on making sure everyone that did make it is safe. I'll fill you in when we get some down time, hooah?" Bower promised.

"Roger that, sir. So everyone not here is dead?"

Bower looked at Manh then he looked back at Bonds. "I'm afraid so, Private. You okay?"

"I'm fine, sir. It's just that Private Fields was wondering about her husband. He was in your Flight crew and we haven't seen his pod." He hesitated, "I don't know how she's going to take the news."

Bower sighed. "I'll talk to her."

It was going to be a long, hard day.

"Anything else?" Bower asked him.

"No sir."

"Then carry on, Private."

Private Fields was a petite, pretty redhead that was the only female they had awaken. She took the news a lot better than he had expected. Perhaps most of the new people were dealing well with their predicament because most of them were suffering from the temporary memory loss. The full weight of the tragedy hadn't quite hit home because they hadn't remembered their loved ones yet. Bower hoped that they would be able to cope once the heartache did finally set in.

"You over it now, Corn?" Bower asked. "We have wounded people that need medical attention."

"Yeah. Sorry. I-I'm better. It was just all so much to take in. I think I'm okay now." The Doc picked up his medical field pack and walked towards the trees to check Nadia's wounds. They had emptied out the survival kits from the eleven pods that were now empty and stored all of the equipment next to the tree that Bower and Nadia had slept in. She had apparently gone back into the tree to rest and was sound asleep when Bower had checked on her. She wasn't aware that they had awaken new people.

"I had better go with him," Manh told Bower, "Nadia might not react well waking up to a stranger checking on her."

"Good idea."

While they were carefully storing the various items from the pod's compartments, Bower had realized that the tree that he and Nadia had slept in was centered in a ring of equally large trees. It was the perfect spot for them to build around with the trees providing perfect shelter. He had decided that spot centered between the trees would be their base camp.

Bower finally found a rock that was hard enough to try and sharpen the thin plates from the pod. The idea was to form different shaped blades for axes, daggers, spears and possibly swords. As he ran the metal over the rock, he noticed it was making an excessive amount of sparks like flint. Excellent. Now they had another way to start fire once the lighters ran out of fuel.

"I made you some coffee, sir." It was Private Fields. She had a soft high voice like a singer would have.

Bower looked at the tin cup filled with steaming black coffee, "Wow, you got a fire going?"

"Yes sir. I hope you like it. I added a few herbs that I found to sweeten it since there is no sugar or milk." Was she blushing?

"I'm sure it's fine, Fields."

"Samantha. You can call me Samantha." She was smiling an award winning smile. Her eyes were the color of milk chocolate.

"Okay," Bower told her. "Under the circumstances, I'd rather call you Private Fields."

The smile vanished, "Oh I understand, sir. I'm sorry."

He took a nervous sip and it was surprisingly good. "It's excellent. Thank you."

Samantha Fields smiled again and went back to join the rest of her fellow soldiers who were still busy moving cryopods. She glanced over her shoulder at him before hurrying away.

Bower took another drink of his coffee a little perplexed.

_What the hell was all that about?_


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Homestead

Bower woke up a little earlier than usual day three on Pandorum. As he expected, when he climbed down from his tree Manh was already awake studying the purple carnivorous plant. The plant had proven to be quite deadly and extreme caution was utilized around it. The plant could actually bend it's tall stalk over to "bite" at anything passing too near it with the teeth on the top. Manh suspected that the teeth contained some sort of venom to paralyze it's victims so that they could be slowly digested piece by piece.

Manh smiled at him. "Morning, my friend."

"Morning."

"I have not seen Nadia since yesterday morning. How is she?"

"She's fine. The wound is healing alarmingly fast. I think she's just emotionally and mentally drained."

"It is understandable."

The plan was to build the small Base Camp larger everyday so that when new people were awakened, they had a place to call home. Already, large scale plans were being formed into building a tree village complete with connecting rope bridges between the trees and small individual huts on different branches. The branches were so wide with the flat grooved surface on top and close to being level that they were perfect for homes.

Considering they had only been on the planet a few days and had already encountered several dangerous species, it was the opinion of everyone that Pandorum was a hostile planet that was going to take time to adapt to. Keeping their homes high off the ground seemed logical. Already rope ladders had been crafted using the natural fibers from the tree's vines.

Manh had discovered an indigenous Coffea plant that had dark red cherry fruit on it. Harvesting a small portion of the berries and removing the seeds or coffee beans, Manh had roasted the seeds, ground them and had made fresh coffee. The coffee was bitter but it had a good kick to it that Bower really needed. Bower tossed in a small amount of the mint-like leaves from the sweet plant Fields found to counter the bitterness. Sleeping on the bark of the tree even though slightly cushioned by a blanket was wearing on his body.

During the night, they were all awakened by a loud howling sound coming from the large savannah several hundred meters to the north. The sounds were then accompanied by the sound of a large creature crying out in terror as it was being killed. The way the creature was screaming left them to believe that it was being eaten alive. The horrible wailing went on for several minutes until abruptly cutting off as the creature finally died.

That was when Bower decided that they needed to explore the immediate area for more threats.

Manh had also found that the trees used the deep groves collect rain water and funnel it towards the trunk. The water was filtered naturally through several feet of thick fibrous bark then stored at the base of the tree at the roots. With a small amount of digging, they had discovered that beneath each tree were deep wells, each containing a surplus of fresh water. They tested the water with one of the tester kits and found that it was potable. With a simple bucket and rope system, they had fresh water readily available.

Bonds climbed down from the tree that he and the rest of the soldiers had claimed. He yawned and stretched then made his way towards the coffee pot. "Good morning, gentlemen." he said smiling.

"Good morning, Private Bonds. You're just the man I wanted to see." Bonds had conducted a count of all the pods that had washed ashore. They counted 607 pods including the two used by Manh, Nadia and Bower. According to the small pod computers, 1212 total pods had been launched which meant nearly half the pods were still missing. After they spend a few days getting settled and waking up more and more people, they would conduct a search to find the rest of the pods. Bonds had proven himself to be quite capable in everything Bower had tasked him to do.

"Sir?"

"I want to take some time today to scout out the area around Base Camp."

Manh nodded in approval, "Sounds good. I am going with you."

Bower gave Manh the thumbs up. "Yeah. I would also like Nadia to go if she feels up to it. I need your botanical and her biological expertise."

"What do you need me to do, sir?"

"While we're gone I'm leaving you in charge."

Private Bonds paled visibly.

Bower paused, "Something wrong?"

"No sir. I'll take care of it."

"You sure?"

"Just tell me what you want done and I'll make sure it happens."

"That's exactly what I needed to hear, Private. You're a good man."

"I'll do my best."

Leaving Bonds to awaken some manual labor crew members to help begin construction of the tree village, he also wanted some the soldiers to help construct a latrine, a small bathing area and a small separate building for Dr. Corn to serve as a clinic if anyone was injured. The doctor was busy going over an inventory of medical kits, first aid kits and field medications in case they were needed. He didn't seem happy that a young Private was being left in charge, perhaps he felt he was a better candidate. At any rate, he accepted Bower's decision without complaint.

Bower checked on Nadia. She was sleeping soundly. Her body temperature soared as she was in the healing process, and at first he had been frightened, thinking she had a fever. She opened her eyes, smiling at him.

He tenderly touch her face, "How are you feeling?"

"Sore. This tree is safe but uncomfortable."

"We're planning to make everyone more comfortable. I'm taking Manh to scout out our immediate vicinity. You feel up to joining us?"

"Yeah just give me a minute. I'll be down as soon as I'm dressed. I can't seem to keep my clothes on whenever you're around." She was still smiling.

He chuckled. "Hey, I'm only human."

Manh waited patiently at the edge of base camp. Bower's plan was to head out to the West along the tree line a few miles then arc back around passed Base Camp and head back from the East in a half circle. Bower sat on a log at the base of the tree around the fire pit that they had constructed the day before. The logs had been dragged in towards the center of Base Camp, around the fire pit to form a common area.

Bower had his face in his field pack taking an inventory. He didn't want to be caught in need of something that he had forgotten, the main thing he was worried about was water. Although balmy, it could get a lot hotter out in the open, away from the ocean breeze and the shade of the trees.

He almost jumped out of his skin because Private Fields said suddenly, "I think it's so admirable what you did for all of us." She had sat down beside him on the log. She was sitting kind of close. A little too close. She was smiling her million dollar smile at him again and there was no doubt that she was a beautiful girl. "You were so brave." Bower felt like an idiot as he stammered and stuttered, trying to follow what she was saying without embarassing himself.

The night before, Bower had recanted to everyone what had transpired aboard the Elysium. Manh helped fill in some of the details. Everyone had seemed to be grateful that they had been spared a horrible fate.

Private Fields had removed her helmet and let her long red hair down. It was shiny and clean even though they had not installed any showers yet.

"What I did?" He managed to ask.

"On board the ship." She said, "You're a hero."

"A hero?"

"Don't you think so?"

"Well, not really."

"You're being modest."

"No I"m not."

"It's so cute that you're embarassed." She gave a small laugh. Her smile vanished. "Hi." She said flatly.

"Hi." Nadia answered just as flatly.

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Well take care out there." Fields told them both and she left to join the rest of the soldiers with their projects.

"I get shot in the stomach and get laid up in bed and you set out on seducing the first pretty face you see?" Nadia asked. She had crossed her arms over her chest.

Bower laughed, "Me? Seduce? Hardly." Nadia wasn't smiling. She didn't look happy either. He put his face back inside his field pack and pretended to be engrossed with the inventory.

"Well come on, Romeo, Manh's waiting for us."

"She thinks we're heroes is all," He blurted out defensively. He immediately regretted it because his tone reflected a small amount of guilt.

Nadia glared at him. He had not seen this expression on her face since she climbed out of the vat of bones and saved him from the hunter. "She thinks _you're_ a hero. She could care less about Manh and I, trust me."

"I think she just misses her husband. His pod wasn't found."

"You can play dumb all you want. I saw the way she was looking at you and I heard her tone. She finds you attractive."

"Really?" Bower was not exactly a ladies man. His lovely wife had left him at the first chance she got and before that it was hit and miss. He had managed to get Nadia and now Private Fields, who was equally beautiful, was interested in him. He could not help feeling good about himself. He felt very flattered.

Nadia was still glaring at him. "Is this going to be a problem for us?"

Bower leaped to his feet, stroking her hair, touching her face and trying to pull her close, "Not at all, babe," He assured her quickly. "I'm just a little flattered that two beautiful women like me. That's never happened to me before. I'm sorry if I upset you."

"Okay. You're forgiven."

"Besides, your opinion is a lot more important to me than Samantha's is."

Nadia gritted her teeth, "Samantha?"

_Oh shit._

"Did I tell you I insisted on calling her Private Fields?" He laughed weakly. "Damn, I'm an idiot. Please forgive me."

Nadia got quiet.

Bower hugged her tightly. "I'm so awkward around you still. Don't be mad. Please? I can't help being stupid about these things. I told you nothing like this has ever happened to me before."

"I think Manh's calling us," She told him and walked towards the edge of camp.

_That's it. She's going to dump me._

Their travel through the wilds of Pandorum in the set route proved to be fruitful. They discovered that to the west, they flanked by a tall rocky mountain range lined with narrow paths and spiked with sharp outcroppings. To the north, the savannah opened into a light yellow-green grasslands that flowed over low rolling hills as far as they could see. To the east, the jungle continued. Their trip was an estimated six mile walk, not a short trek, but by no means did they explore anything other than their immediate vicinity in the vast world.

The base of the mountains were lined with thick brush that held bright yellow berries. The number of birds and small animal droppings all around the brush and on the shrubs themselves told Nadia that they were probably edible. She pocketed a few handfuls to test back at Base Camp.

While on the savannah, they saw large herbivores traveling in herds. They looked like reddish wooly rhino except for face which looked similar to a cow. Also, the hooves were cloven which, coupled with the fact that it had true horns classified it as a bovine. They were massive creatures, easily 14 to 16 feet from nose to rear and probably 9 feet high at the shoulder. Due to their body mass, Nadia estimated they weighed around 5000 to 6000 pounds.

When they saw stained grass, they went closer to investigate, finding the freshly eaten carcass of one of the massive creatures. It had been reduced to bright red gristle clinging to yellow bones and an uneaten head. The ribs reached towards the sky, and from the ground they were nearly as tall as Bower was. All of the organs were gone along with every scrap of muscle skin and tissue.

There were tracks is some of the blood-stained earth all around the body. They looked like large lizard footprints with long talons on the toes. The struggle had been immense, the hapless beast fought for its life to the end. The tracks were so muddled and numerous that they could not determine how many attackers there had been.

Bower was concerned, "This is probably what we heard screaming last night. What the hell could kill and eat a creature this size?"

Nadia and Manh couldn't come up with an answer. Manh put a few dried dropping of the large beasts in his back pack. He saw Nadia and Bower watching him with mixed expressions so he said, "In the old days back on earth, the frontier men used to burn buffalo chips in their campfires. They actually burned very well. I want to see if maybe we can use these."

"Good idea. I think I'm going to come back out here after I find a tracker. I'm sure one of the soldiers we have has some hunting experience." They headed back to Base Camp.

During the trip, Bower had done everything he could to get back on Nadia's good side. He had never been so funny, so thoughtful, caring and tender to anyone his whole life. He was being so attentive to Nadia that Manh had gotten embarrassed a few times but he didn't care. Having Nadia angry at him was unbearable and he wanted her to forgive him as soon as possible. By the end of the trip, she held his hand as they walked back to camp then kissed him before climbing back into their tree so she could rest. He felt a lot better.

Bonds had really come through. There were ten new additions to their group, all of them skilled carpenters and masons. All of them were also women. Bower had noticed that while checking for a doctor the day before, that there were nearly twice as many women left in the pods as men. Hopefully, this would not make any difference in the future.

The workers had already set up a work place and had collected what limited tools they had to work with to store there. They had already started on the washroom for showers and the med clinic was half finished as well. Bower had to excuse himself from the acting foreman who called herself Patty. She had lots of great and interesting ideas on how to make things as civilized as possible but he would have to hear her out later. Right now, he had tracks to check out.

The sun was getting low in the sky so Bower asked Bonds if there was anyone who had done a lot of hunting in his group. Bonds called over a young hispanic troop named Private Trejo. Trejo had hunted just about every game there was to hunt back on earth. He started as soon as he was big enough to carry a firearm. He was perfect for what Bower needed.

"Private Trejo, come with me." Bower instructed, "Good job so far Private Bonds. Keep it up. We'll inform the workers about what happened on the Elysium tonight. You have any problems when you woke them?"

"No sir. They were ready to get started as soon as they woke up."

"That's good. We'll be back before nightfall."

As Bower and Trejo headed back north to the rolling hills and the huge savannah they heard Bonds asking Manh why he was dumping dried shit into the firepit.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Encounter

Bower and Trejo made their way north to the kill site. They made small talk as they travelled but Bower was watching the young Private closely. Trejo was constantly looking around, listening and studying the ground. He was exceedingly aware of his surroundings. What was impressive was that the younger man seemed to be doing it without being aware. He was naturally cautious, highly cognizant and inherently alert. Bower felt comfortable that he found the right man for the job.

The carcass was still in the same place as before, ribs bones stretching towards the sky like skeletal crimson hands. Trejo spent a few minutes walking around it, studying the ground and the tracks, then he looked out over the prairie at the brethren of the fallen beast. He seemed ready to say something when suddenly he hurried from the open grass to the treeline. He dropped out of sight along the higher grasses and brush from the jungle. Bower felt stupid standing out in the open so he followed the young Private and crouched down as well wondering what he was doing.

He moved closer to him and whispered "What's wrong?"

Trejo spoke with a slight Spanish accent. He voice was surprisingly deep for a man with such a babyface. "The jungle," he said softly, "It got quiet."

At first Bower didn't know what he meant but after a few seconds, he realized that all the birds and even the insects had quieted down. Trejo looked tense.

"It's got to be really close to us," the young man said. "I don't think it knows we're here. It's dangerous, whatever it is. Even the wind seems afraid."

They remained low in the brush waiting.

About 50 yards west of them, an animal moved onto the savannah. It looked like a large hyena, barrel-chested with a small head and huge ears. It was sniffing the air with a wet black nose and from where they were, they could see that it was easily the size of a cow. The face of the creature was black and the mouth line curled back so far along it's head that it appeared to be perpetually grinning. It's fir was tawny, matted and filthy with dried blood and pieces of carrion clinging to it with black spots along its flank.

_Great, from the hunters to this thing._

Trejo pulled lightly on Bower's uniform and put a finger in front of his lips then he indicated the low trees right inside the jungle. He then duck-walked to the nearest one and began to nimbly scale it. Bower looked back at the creature and saw in horror that it was trotting in his direction, it's black legs surprisingly long and swift for it's heavy body. Bower turned and jumped up grabbing the lowest branch and climbed for his life.

The hyena-thing made a strange noise in its throat like a series of small coughs. Maybe it was barking at him. Even though Bower was having trouble climbing to safety, the thing made no move to attack him. It just watched him still doing that cough-like bark. It sniffed the air then sniffed around in the brush where the two men had been standing seconds before.

"It doesn't recognize our scent," Trejo yelled to him. At the sound of his voice, the hyena-thing started and retreated a few steps away then stopped. It watched them with it's beady eyes, round teddy bear ears perked, nose sniffing and it started coughing at them again.

"That is one ugly son of a bitch." Bower said sincerely.

"I think we should climb down and try to chase it off."

"You hit your head on one of those limbs or something?" Bower asked. "Chase that thing off? It weighs more than both of us combined."

"I think it's a little scared of us since it doesn't know what we are."

"Oh you _think_ it's a little scared."

"Yes sir."

The Hyena-thing was panting and Bower could see the long black teeth in it's mouth. "Well I don't think it's scared of shit and we are not climbing down to find out."

"We have to do something, sir. It will be dark soon."

"I'll sleep in this fucking tree if I have to, Private. Neither of us has a weapon."

Trejo stared at him.

"What?"

Trejo asked him, "I thought you had a firearm, sir."

"I do but it's not reliable. The ammunition is over a hundred years old. You really want to risk a misfire?"

"No sir." Trejo seemed to have accepted their circumstances. "I guess we'll sit tight."

Night was swift in its domination of the prairie.

A little over an hour passed as the Hyena-thing settled down at the base of their tree, basically trapping them. Bower prayed that none of the others came looking for them and so far, none had.

As soon as the sky turned from bright blue to a darker shade, the sun's rays were fading and the shadows of the foliage became extended and less pronounced, they heard the howl. It was a deep and guttural howl with a high pitched squeal at the end not like anything Bower could recall back on earth. He locked eyes with Trejo, "What the fuck was that?"

The Hyena-thing had actually laid down on the ground while it waiting for them, yawning with it's fat pink tongue curling. After the howl shook through the trees of the jungle and echoed across the grasslands, the hyena-thing scrambled to it's feet, sniffing apprehensively.

The unseen thing howled again, this time in the same stretch of trees that the two men were taking refuge in. The sound crashed into them with the force of a gale, shaking the trees, leaves and small twigs sprinkling down on them. It was moving fast whatever it was.

The hyena-thing started to retreat but then circled back, not wanting to give up it's potential meal. It hadn't tried human flesh yet. Both men could see it drooling.

The howling creature broke into the open about 50 yards to the west.

Bower had trouble conprehending what he was seeing. Was he hallucinating?

At first glance, in the darkness that was rapidly becoming darker, the thing looked like a hunter. A big, muscular hunter.

Then he saw that it wasn't a hunter.

The beast had a short mane like a lion. It's skin was jet black with fur that was so short it looked like velvet. The eyes of the thing glowed a brilliant green and in the low light, they glowed like hot emerald coals. The head was canine with light gray catfish-like whiskers around its snout. The whiskers were wet-looking, glistening hideously like the slimy tentacles of a squid. The ears were like a wolf's, tall and capable of individual movement. It was probably close to 7 feet tall with long, muscular arms that nearly touched the ground.

As the Mane saw the Hyena-thing, it reared back and unleashed a deafening howl that echoed in Bower's skull, then it hurled itself at the beast. Though easily twice the Mane's weight, the Hyena-thing fled. Both creatures were terribly fast as they tore across the grasslands and out of the sight.

"Back to camp!" Bower shouted. Trejo was already halfway down the tree.

They ran in the darkness, praying that they wouldn't get turned around in the canopy of trees. They had not ventured from Base Camp at night, assuming that most predators would use the darkness to hunt. The sound of the ocean was their only beacon as to whether they were headed in the right direction.

"Well, at least we know what killed the Rhison." Trejo said. He was breathless from the running.

"Rhison?"

"Yeah. That big herd animal that was killed and eaten. To me, they look half Rhino and half Bison so I named them Rhisons."

"That's fine and you're right. I think that Mane was definitely the thing that killed it."

They saw a campfire through the thick brush and trees. They had found Base Camp.

"Thank Christ." Bower was relieved. He told Trejo to slow down. "Listen, we can't cause a panic."

Trejo didn't seem to catch on.

"We just woke up new people today. They're still trying to adjust. We can't scare the hell out of them talking about this Mane, you understand?"

The young Private nodded. "But what if that thing finds our camp? It'll catch them all off-guard."

Damn. He was right. Bower hated to admit it, but they were going to have to warn the others. "Okay," He relented. "but we tell them nice and easy. Let's take a few minutes to calm down before we return to camp."

A distant howl ripped through the air, drowning out the night sounds of the rest of the jungle.

"On second thought, lets haul ass." Bower said.

After they had told everyone what had happened. Nadia clung to him. He was glad for the comforting but a little confused as to why she was so clingy. Since he had a brush with death, perhaps she believed that if he would be lost to her unless she were vigiliant. She was such a strong woman, that this overly-protective behavior confused and uplifted him at the same time.

They had retreated to their tree home. The rest of the camp had agreed to do the same and no one was to climb down into the jungle at night. Hopefully, everyone had strong bladders.

Nadia hugged him tightly after they had laid down, her head pressed against his heart. He heard her weeping quietly. "Hey, what's wrong?"

She looked at him, fear gripping her lovely eyes, "I can't believe I almost lost you again."

He wiped her tears away, hugging her closer, trying to comfort her. "I'm not going anywhere," He assured her.

"From now on, you take me with you. I don't care about my wound. I'm not sitting here worrying about you. I don't know what I would do if you didn't come back. I don't know what I would do." She started crying again.

Bower was speechless. She was in love with him, he was just realizing it. When had it happened? He knew that they were growing closer and that their harrowing experience aboard the Elysium had accelerated more than just their physical bodies.

Her tears had a profound effect on him. He wanted to make her happy in everyway that he could. He wanted to never worry her, or scare her and God help anyone who tried to hurt her. He felt that by wrapping her tightly in his arms that he could keep all of the bad things away, keeping her safe for the rest of their lives. As long as she was safe, happy and healthy, he would be as well.

He realized that he had fallen in love with her too.

"I love you, Nadia," He told her. He knew that he had never been more sincere.

She stopped crying and gave him a little smile. "I love you too."

"I'll never go anywhere without you, ever again. I promise."

"Okay."

They awoke to the next morning to sounds of screaming. There were women screaming in horror and some screaming in anger. There were loud sounds of numerous struggles like a small battle was ensuing at the bottom of their tree. Bower and Nadia both scrambled to put on clothing.

Bower grabbed the sword he had just finished making the night before and ran for the rope ladder, letting it unroll to the base of the tree. Then he climbed down Nadia close behind. While he made his way down, he saw lots of blood, bodies and torn packages strewn across the common area. Ants had attacked their food supply. It looked like all of the dehydrated food had been eaten or carried off by the fast-moving insects.

Several of the others had formed a semi-circle in front of the ravaged supplies, holding the ants at bay. Three of them were down, all of them women. Six ants lay dead, their strange clear blood running like water. Manh cut another ant down as it moved towards the food, jaws opened, head high. He lopped it's head from it's body.

The ants were slowly retreating, antennae waving frantically, angrily.

There was a lot of human blood spilled as well.

A carpenter named Joellen, lay with deep puncture wounds to the chest. She wasn't moving. Another carpenter, Hannah they called her, was facedown in a pool of blood, hands at her throat which had been cut opened by the ant's powerful jaws. She wasn't moving either. Trisha, an electrician, had deep cuts on both legs. She was doing most of the screaming. As he reached the bottom of the tree, Bower saw that a severed ant head still clung to her leg, jaws embedded deep in her flesh.

The ants disappeared into the underbrush and if it weren't for the dead and the wounded, it would be hard to prove that they had ever been there. The dehydrated food supply was almost completely gone. They had been using the rations to feed themselves while they got settled in but now they were going to have to forage for food.

"After we get completely settled," Manh said in his soft voice, "I'm going to find their ant hill and destroy it with fire."

They successfully removed the ant's jaws from her leg but Trisha began to convulse, Dr. Corn yelled for help. He couldn't treat her while she was flailing violently. He listened to her heart and was taking her heart rate. Bower grabbed a leg, Manh the other leg and Nadia craddled her head. As suddenly as the convulsions started, they stopped and Dr. Corn pronounced her dead.

"Dead? Oh no." One of the other women began to bawl.

She didn't seem to have lost that much blood. How could she have died? Shock?

Nadia read his thoughts again. "The ant's poison caused her death."

"That's right," The Doctor agreed. He gently closed the dead woman's eyes. "I'll use the dead ant's venom to try and make an anti-toxin."

"Excellent idea, Doc." Bower said. "You okay?"

Dr. Corn was disheveled, head down, quiet and out of sorts. He didn't seem to take losing a patient very well. "No I'm not." He said simply, "I just need a few minutes." He stood and walked towards the beach.

Bower was shocked that the women had taken up arms against the marauding ants. Even though three of them were killed, they not only killed six attackers but had also managed to drive the ants off. Survival instincts had been stronger than their sense of fear.

"We need to catch some fish and gather some of those berries," Nadia suggested. The berries that she had collected the day before had proven to be edible. They tasted a little like small sweet plums. The large grove of the berries wasn't far and with proper security, a fair amount of fruit could be gathered and brought back to eat.

Bower had planned and concentrating more on getting the village built. He wanted protective walls in each tree and a bathing facility. So far, the latrine was a success but they were still washing themselves with wash cloths only. Food was imperative and as much as he didn't want to, he was going to have to task most of the personnel with food gathering rather than construction. "Private Bonds."

"Sir?" The young man seemed to always be there when he was needed.

"Get a burial detail together. We need three graves dug."

"Right away."

"Manh, I want you to take Private Trejo and a few of the others to the area where those berries were. Take a few blankets to carry them back. We need enough to feed us today and tomorrow. You have to be back here before dark."

"No problem." Manh said.

"I'll take the rest of us and make some fishing poles. Hopefully, the fish are biting."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Hunger

Bower decided not to awaken any new people that day. With the shortage of food, waking up more mouths to feed was a crap shoot. The extra bodies could either be a blessing with the possibility of more food being collected or a curse if not enough food could be found. They decided to try with the number of people they had already available.

The hooks and the fishing line were ready. It was just a matter of getting poles cut and finding a suitable bait for fish that they were not familiar with. Hopefully, the regular fish of Pandorum couldn't cloak themselves like the predator shark could.

The large rock outcroppings that ran out from shore to the deeper water and were a few feet above the waves made the perfect fishing spots. The mist from the waves was cooling, the wet rock was beautiful and not too slippery.

The group fished for 5 hours without any luck. They tried insects, worms, grubs, fruit and just about everything else for bait that they could think of. Nothing was working. Nadia left for a few minutes, then returned with strange white pieces of pulp. As soon as she cast it out, she got a bite and after quite a long battle, she landed the first fish caught on their new planet.

It was snake-like, easily four feet long with a short, round head and a large mouth. As it squirmed and twisted on the dark rock they were standing on, they could see that it had teeth and it's eyes rolled and moved around in the orbital socket like a human's eyes could. The toothy mouth turned up from it's gills towards it's snout so that it looked like it was frowning. It's pale pink body with the dark blue leopard spots, semi-translucent in the bright sun and the way it squirmed made it look like a giant worm. It was an absolutely repulsive fish.

"That is the most hideous fish I have ever seen." Nadia said thickly. She had her hands near her mouth like she was getting ready to vomit.

"If it's good to eat, I don't give a shit what it looks like." Bower told her.

"What was that bait you used?" Patty asked. She was the leader of the Working Women. The all-female construction crew had dubbed themselves that after they had completed the latrine the day before. Patty had big plans for their village. She wanted to build a kiln to fire ceramics for sewage and pottery as soon as they finished constructing the rest of the buildings. She was in her late thirties, slightly over weight and was not very pretty. Her hair and face had aged passed her years due to long hours in the sun. Patty had also been a habitual smoker and drinker. Still, she had a laugh that made others laugh and a smile that made others want to smile right back at her.

"Ant meat." Nadia confessed. "Help yourself." She still looked a little queasy.

Patty smiled and clapped her on the back, "Aw it's just a little fish, Hon. You'll be okay."

Nadia nodded.

"Ladies! Come and bait yer hooks with this bait. We need to catch as many as we can." Patty called to the rest of the Working Women. The women made their way over to the bait and Bower could see that they were still trying to deal with the three deaths that morning. All three women that had been killed were Working Women. Normally cheerful, loud and merry, the tragedy had left the ladies bereft of joy and had quieted their hearts.

"We need someone who knows how to prepare fish," Bower admitted to Nadia and Patty. "That way we can make sure if its edible or not."

Nadia looked down, her face clouded and Bower knew why. Leland was the cook but was no longer with them. His tuna casserole was a great memory from the Elysium overshadowed only by the first kiss he and Nadia shared. He must have looked upset too because Patty asked him what was wrong. "Nothing," he lied. "I'm going to go check with Bonds. Maybe there's a cook in his Squad."

Private Bonds had performed his tasks perfectly as usual. He had even wrapped the bodies in blankets beside their graves in case anyone wanted to say a few words before burial. Rocks had been gathered to pile on top of the dug soil to prevent scavengers.

"Yes sir, we have a cook who's still in her cryopod." Bonds seemed a little tired. "She's the only cook I saw to tell you the truth."

"We don't have any that are already awake?"

"That's a negative, sir."

"Okay. I guess I'll wake her up. Show me where she is."

Bonds led him to the cryopod. On the top of the pod the name read "PV2 M. Garza". Bowers started the wake up program and soon the pod cracked open with a hiss. Garza coughed and choked herself awake. Bowers stepped closer to help her but was distracted. She was only wearing a thin undershirt without a bra and, despite being very petite, she had very large breasts. As she coughed, her breasts shook and swayed hypnotically. It took all of his willpower to keep from staring at them like an idiot. Nadia had an ample bosom but Garza's chest was nearly twice as large.

Garza tore the mask from her face and wrenched herself loose of the pod, tearing leads and ripping the some of the larger patches of the protective layer off her skin. She was a pretty Filipino woman, maybe in her late twenties. "Oh my God, I am freezing my ass off, Bonds."

"I'm sure you are." Bonds said. Then he told her, "Private Garza, this is the ranking soldier in our group, Corporal Bower. He's in charge."

"Good to meet you, sir. Just give me a few minutes to collect myself."

"Take all the time you need, Private. I need you to check out an indigenous fish that we caught. I want to know if it's edible. I'll be at Base Camp when you're ready." As Bower walked away, he heard Garza and Bonds bantering back and forth.

"We made it to Pandorum? Where's the ship?" Garza asked.

"I'll explain everything later. Just cover yourself, I can see your nipples."

"Damn. Quit staring, shithead!"

"You should have gone under completely topless with only a g-string on." He told her sarcastically. "Then we could have gotten an even better show."

"Fuck you, perv!"

"I'm ready when you are."

"Why don't you get me some clothes instead of gawking at me?"

"Why don't you blow me, tramp?"

Garza laughed, "You are such an asshole."

Bower walked into the canopy of trees that was their home and saw that Manh had returned. His group had collected plenty of berries and they all looked exhausted. "I guess everything worked out, huh?"

Manh gave him a thin smile. "Yes. I really think we should bring a cart or something next time. These berries are heavier than they look."

Bower chuckled.

"I am sure with all this wood available, we could easily build a small cart. It would make the trip a lot easier. We could also-" Manh stared over Bower's shoulder. He had a pecular look on his face. "Who, who is that?" he murmured.

Bower saw that he was looking at Garza. "That's our new cook. I just woke her up."

"I have never seen anyone more beautiful." Manh said softly.

Bower smiled at him. "You want to meet her? I could introduce you-"

"Okay."

Bonds and Garza were already walking towards them. She had found a unifrom to wear and now that Bower actually looked at her face, she was actually very pretty.

"This is Manh." Bonds said before Bower could, "He's second in command to Corporal Bower by virtue of being a badass."

Bower laughed.

Manh looked a little embarassed.

Garza looked a little impressed.

* * *

Garza concluded that the fish was inedible. The bright colors of its body led her to believe that it was most likely toxic with some type of poison stored somewhere on it's body. If the skin were poisonous, then even handling the fish could be fatal.

That night, she cut up a few small silver fish that were caught by the working women and made a soup to go with a few handfuls of berries. They hadn't eaten since the night before so the meal was frightfully inadequate.

The Working Women had managed to construct a platform on the low branches that nearly came into contact with one another in the center of camp complete with railings. This platform served as the new common area and had several rope bridges leading to it from the different trees around it. Flat metal plates had been laid down over a thick layer of dirt that had been carried and spread out in the center. The fire was built on top of the metal so that meals could be prepared in the protection of the trees.

The seven remaining Working Women, the eleven soldiers, Dr. Corn, Nadia, Manh and Bower hung around the new common area after they ate their meager meal. It seemed the weight of the platform plus all of their weight wasn't even registering on the massive branches. The working ladies had placed the floorboards crossed over the deep furrows in the limbs so as not to hinder the tree of any rainfall collection.

Manh had just finished telling Garza what had happened aboard the Elysium.

"I have a question, sir." Garza said to Bower.

"Shoot."

"Where are all the Officers? I mean, no disrespect intended but how is it that the highest ranking military person here is a Corporal?"

"I think that Gallo was trying to leave himself the highest ranking person on board," Nadia interjected. "I suspect that he killed all of the Officers and the Senior Non-Commisioned Officers first."

"That would leave just the lower Enlisted troops and civilians." Bower added.

"He kept telling us that he was our God." Manh explained, "He wanted to kill off anyone else who challenged his authority."

"I believe it's the same reason that he killed off most of the men first." Bower concluded.

"That was my next question," Garza said. "The majority of the personnel on board the Elysium were male. If I remember correctly, it was about 90% males to only 10% females."

"I don't remember for sure," Bower admitted. "But I think maybe Gallo felt that women would be easier to control or something so he had most of the males killed off first."

"Or maybe the sick bastard wanted a harem for himself," Patty chimed in.

"Okay, one more question." Garza said softly. "Why haven't we tried to find wild vegetables and fruits for crops? Instead of hiking out to get them, we could grow them right here."

"That's what the plan was." Bower explained. "The ants ruined the food that we had. We could focus on building and planning because we had all of the dehydrated food from the pods on hand. Now that we're out of food, we have to focus on not starving to death."

"Well, tomorrow I'd like to go and find some wild plants and bring back samples of them here." Garza told him.

"Manh is our agricultural specialist. I'd like for you to team up with him tomorrow so that we can catch more fish. I also want to devise a way to kill one of those herd beasts for meat."

"You want to try and kill one of those huge things?" Nadia was incredulous.

"Hey prehistoric man hunted the wooly mammoths. If they can do it, we can do it."

She smiled at him. The firelight accentuated her beauty. "Manh and I have come to a conclusion that there is some type of excretion or pheromone being exuded from the trees that keeps predators away."

Manh nodded in agreement, "We watched the ants as they avoided coming into contact with any of the trees. We also have yet to see any of the larger predators this deep into the jungle."

"Apparently, it has no effect on humans which is working to our advantage. That does not make us completely safe though. I think we should definitely limit our time out of the trees to just the daytime only."

"Aww we got a curfew?" Garza laughed.

Everyone chuckled.

And with that, the informal meeting was adjourned. Gradually, everyone made their way to bed, Garza having to bunk with one of the working ladies. After a few minutes, only Manh and Bower remained on the common area platform.

"So I get to spend time all day tomorrow with Garza." Manh stated.

Bower chuckled.

"Thank you, my friend. Just so you know, I do not need any help in the art of love.

"I know you don't. It all just sort of worked out that way."

Manh gave him a warm smile. "Well, thank you all the same."

"Don't mention it, bud."


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Hunting

Manh was impressed with the knowledge of the outdoors that Garza had. She was talking the entire time, telling him about how she loved to garden with her mother and how her entire house was decorated with various plants. She also tended a fully functioning garden in her backyard. She absolutely loved plants and flowers. Manh usually felt that women who talked too much were either stupid or insecure. With Garza, it seemed that she was just comfortable in telling him about her past back on earth.

When she asked him what his job was, he found himself opening up to her which was uncharacteristic of himself. He was normally a very private person but for some unexplained reason, he went on and on about his work and how he was also an avid gardener. There were a few times when he thought that he was talking too much but she would carry on after him, even finishing his sentences for him. At that point he would start yet another conversation and they just talked like they had known each other for years.

Inexplicably, the conversation turned to marriage and children. She wanted three children eventually, two boys and a girl. So did he. She wanted to spend her evenings with her family, cooking and eating dinner together and then having everyone pitch in to clean up. That was exactly what he wanted as well. She wanted to go to school and become a Botanist and he offered to be her tutor.

Manh was a little concerned that they had so much in common but he wasn't frightened by it nor did he think that she was being deceptive. She didn't seemed all that concerned either. In fact, she seemed pleased that they were getting along so well. Garza seemed to be interested in taking their relationship slowly but definitely wanted a relationship with him and Manh could not have been more pleased.

Eventually, they found themselves on the prairie and Garza was awestruck by Pandorum's raw beauty. She quickly found wild potato like bulbs and onions. Manh managed to locate some type of carrots. None of the vegetables were dead ringers for the originals but they were close enough in color, taste and texture to be called their names respectively.

Using some plastic trash bags and some makeshift pots that were actually pieces of one of the cryopods, they carefully dug up several healthy young plants to transplant into their garden at Base Camp.

While they worked, Manh was again pleased with how comfortable he was with Garza even though they were alone and still virtually strangers. He was always very cautious and easy going when it came to relationships. It took him weeks to warm up to a woman and years for him to begin trusting. With Garza, it was different. They just clicked and he found himself not wanting their trip together to end. He wanted to spend as much time with her as possible and found himself hoping that his feelings were not one-sided.

They got back to base camp in the early afternoon. After only soup made from the bones of the fish and a few handfuls of berries for breakfast, they were both starving. Hunger had demoralized most of the others as well. The Working Women were again very quiet and irritable.

Still, the construction crew had managed to install a washroom made with extremely think walls and an equally thick roof. When anyone climbed down to use the washroom or the latrine at night, they needed to be protected from predators. All buildings made on the ground were basically impenetrable. Doctor Corn's clinic had been moved into the trees to keep it even safer in case there was ever anyone sick enough or injured enough to have to stay over.

The overall plan was to build a high, strong wall around the entire perimeter of Base Camp.

Manh saw that Bower had gathered the soldiers and Nadia in the common area. They were going over a plan of some type so Manh made his way over trying to listen in.

"You're sure they were flightless?" Bower asked a short, very thin soldier who was wearing the thickest glasses Manh had ever seen.

The soldier nodded.

Bower saw Manh, "Glad you're here, bud. The soldiers found some flightless birds on the beach to the west. They said it's a really hard journey but I figure if we catch some of the birds maybe we can raise them here like chickens."

"Use them for eggs and meat," Manh agreed, "Sounds good. When are you leaving?"

"Now. Private Dudley was going to show us how to get there."

The small man with the thick glasses nodded at Manh.

When he went to ask Garza if she wanted to go with them, she said that her time needed to be spent getting the garden ready. She had a few helpers with her, Dr. Corn and Private Fields were helping her clear the soil for planting. "You go ahead." Garza told him with a smile.

For the first time since he had met him, Manh decided not to go with Bower. He stayed behind, gathering water, planting the small plants and clearing the weeds.

_Sorry, my friend. You're going to have to do this mission without me._

Bower wasn't surprised that Manh wanted to stay behind. He and Garza seemed to be really hitting it off. Nadia was grinning from ear to ear over the whole thing. She was so happy that Manh had found love that she could barely contain herself.

She was giddy and her lovely smile brought Bower a happiness that overshadowed the hunger, the worry and the fear of not being able to survive on this planet. If Dudley was right about what he had seen then their lives may be spared. Otherwise, it was only going to get worse.

This was the first time Nadia had carried her spear since she had been wounded and the first time any of the others had seen it. They seemed nearly frightened of how dangerous she looked with it, especially the other women.

Their group consisted of eight people, Bower, Nadia, Dudley, Bonds, Trejo, a baby-faced soldier named McClain and a quiet soldier named Silvers. Private McClain had bright red hair, freckles and liked to tell jokes. PFC Silvers was tall and thin with an olive complexion. He had told Bower that his mother was black and his father was English. To Bower, he looked hispanic.

The group had broken out of the thick trees of the jungle and were now exposed out on the plain as they headed for the high mountains. A narrow winding trail led to the top of the lowest ridges and by the time they had reached that first ridge, they were all exhausted. Lack of proper nourishment had left them weakened and easily fatigued.

Luckily, they had gathered a few handfuls of the yellow berries at the base of the mountain to snack on. Everyone had been calling them Nadian berries after Nadia since she was the one that had found them. The round juicy berries gave them just enough energy to continue on but not enough to curb the fiery hunger that had settled within their stomachs.

Private Dudley wasn't kidding when he said that the trail was treacherous. Even the rocks they were walking on were sharp and everything around them was pointy and uneven. The western mountain towered over them like a giant obstacle, laughing at their futility. They were spared trying to conquer the massive mountain, however because Dudley took a southern trail and headed towards the ocean.

There were high, wonderful cliffs here and a mile or so further westward, a large river that had carved an ancient waterway between the high peaks, ran down the side of the massive mountains and dumped itself over the dark rocks into the brilliant ocean hundreds of feet below them. The thunderous noise of the crashing water was nearly deafening even at this distance.

Dudley pointed towards the stunning waterfall and yelled, "I came out here to get a look at the waterfall but when I looked over the cliff I saw the birds!"

There was a very narrow gravel lined crevasse in the cliff that lead down to the rocks below. They would have to travel further west on the wet rocks, dodging the low waves crashing into them to get the huge sandy area where they could see strange nests that were built right onto the ground. Sticks, twigs, vines and leaves were twisted together to form the nests. In some of the nests they could see large eggs as blue as the sky.

As the group made their way to the sandy area, the birds finally decided to make their appearance about 200 yards from them. Three of them walked out of the thick treeline onto the sand and began waddling towards the nests. They were squat and wide like ducks but without bills and webbed feet. A brilliant red large beak adorned their faces and then gave way to a orange and black feathered, plump body, with small wings and thick powerful-looking legs that were the same bright red as the beak. They had blue eyes that sparkled like sapphires with tiny black pupils.

Once they were off the cliff, the trees and shrubs worked to surpress the loudness of the waterfall. They no longer had to yell to hear one another.

As the group moved from the high rocks onto the sand and walked through the low shrubs to the nesting sandy area, all three of the birds spied them. They lowered their heads, fluffed out all of their feathers angrily, let out a loud squawk and charged them. Dudley, who was in the lead but armed only with a walking stick, fell back while the others with weapons moved to intercept the inbound enemies.

Bower wanted to yell for Nadia to get back. She was not fully healed but asking her to stay out of a fight when they were all in danger of starving to death was nearly suicidal. He'd rather facedown a hundred of the birds single-handedly than to face Nadia's reaction.

As the birds narrowed the gap between them, Bower saw that they were a lot bigger than a chicken. They stood around 4 feet tall and probably weighed a hundred pounds. This wasn't going to be an easy hunt at all.

He drew his new swords and waited for the birds to get within striking distance. They were barreling down on them swiftly, their short legs moving faster than he'd expected. When one of the birds was within ten feet, it leaped at him, catching him completely offguard.

Nadia's bird had leaped at her as well and he heard her gasp as she was also caught unaware.

Trejo had a makeshift ax and Bonds had fashioned himself a hammer and they engaged the third bird. As their bird launched itself at them, Bower heard both men curse.

In midair, the bird brought up both of its feet and Bower could see thick, sharp talons reaching out for his flesh. He barely had time to throw himself flat on the ground. He was so quick at flattening himself to avoid getting clawed, that he knocked the air out of himself. Turning his head, he saw Nadia using the spear's handle to parry the attack from the bird she was fighting. He heard Bonds cry out in pain.

Straining to draw in a breath, Bower rolled onto his back as the bird flew over him and right into Dudley. Luckily, the flightless thing had lowered its deadly talons to try and land upright. Still, it rammed into the soldier knocking both of them to the ground.

As the bird and Dudley struggled to their feet, the rest of the party fell upon the bird with sticks, rocks and kicks. Trejo hacked the bird he was facing twice, got his hand bitten with it's sharp beak and killed it with the third strike. Nadia had skewered her bird as well.

All three attackers had been killed but they had suffered a casualty as well.

Bonds was gasping for air. He was laying on his side, clutching at his chest and they saw blood pooling under him.

"Bonds!" Bower shouted. He rushed to his side.

The bird's sharp talons had pierced deep into Bonds' ribs. As Bower and Trejo knelt over him, they were sprayed with a fine mist of blood. His chest cavity had been punctured and every time he exhaled, the air was pressed out of the small hole. There was bright frothy blood was bubbling out of the wound.

"It's a sucking chest wound," Trejo said calmly. "Just sit back and relax, Bondsman, I'll take care of you."

Bower had basic first aid training through the military but as he stared at the bloody mess, his mind was blank.

"The rest of you," Nadia barked, "Keep your eyes open and stay alert! There could be more of these damn things nearby."

The soldiers immediately became vigilant.

"What do you need me to do?" Bower asked.

"I need something airtight." Trejo told him. He was tearing one of Bonds' sleeves off, presumably to use it as a bandage.

"Can hardly breathe," Bonds wheezed. He was frightfully weak and pale.

"Hang in there, soldier." Nadia assured him.

Bower saw the tall trees by the ocean surrounded by the low shrubs. The large leaves on some of the shrubs might seal the wound tight enough to prevent air from entering through the wound. He ran as fast as he could, his speed was impeded by the deep sand, to the treeline, yanked a few of the large leaves off the shrubs and ran back. The leaves were shaped like elephant ears, thick, veined and dark green with a glossy texture.

Trejo had torn away Bonds' uniform directly around the wound. He carefully fitted the leaf over the puncture after Bonds exhaled to seal it. The leaf worked well enough to prevent air from collapsing the lung further. He wrapped it up with the sleeve that he had torn into a long strip.

Bonds coughed violently. Despite their efforts, he was still barely clinging to life. Obviously, he was in a lot of pain and struggling to draw in oxygen. As everyone was gathering around assuring him, motivating him, some even praying for him, Private Bonds coughed again, let out a soft sigh and died.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Comrades

The loss of Private Bonds had a huge effect on everyone. He had been well respected, liked and some had come to rely on him for support including Bower. The way back to Base Camp was a long one but it seemed even longer as they carefully carried Bonds' body back to Base Camp for burial. None of them except Private McClain had anything to say during the return trip. He was trying to keep everyone in high spirits but wasn't getting anywhere. Bower appreciated the attempt.

They also took turns carrying two of the birds back for food. Even cleaned, they still weighed around 60 pounds each. Private McClain began to call the birds Black Dodos and the name stuck.

There were a lot of questions when they arrived back to Base Camp about how Private Bonds had died. Bower heard Private Silvers yelling at a few of the working women, "Of course we tried to revive him! What the fuck do you think? We resuscitated him for a half hour straight!" Then he immediately apologized quietly.

Manh was pissed.

"You not being there had nothing to do with his death, Manh." Bower told him sternly. "Stop saying that. Right now, I need you to help me cope not blame yourself, alright? I'm doing enough self blaming for the both of us, trust me."

They buried Bonds in their small graveyard next to the Working Women who had died a few days before. Everyone gathered in a silent vigil and took turns saying a few words about him. There wasn't a dry eye among them.

"So much death in so few days." Nadia whispered.

"I think we should build the protective wall next," Bower told Patty.

"Sure, Chief." She said quietly. "Now that we're not going to be starving to death I'm sure the girls and I can start getting more work done."

"How long will it take you?"

"If you can help us cut the trees down, we can shape and fit them. Give me four days."

"It's got to be sooner than that. What if I get you a few more soldiers and some more workers?"

"I might be able to pull it off in two days. That's the best I can do unless you give me an army of bodies."

"Sounds good. Private Garza, are you okay to get that Dodo meat cooking?"

She nodded.

"Good." He kissed Nadia, "I haven't had a chance to try the shower yet."

"I know." She held her nose.

He smiled at her.

Nadia kissed him. "Just kidding, Love. Try to hurry."

Bower walked towards the southern part of Base Camp where a long building had been constructed. They had used some of the generators, batteries and the pumps used to drain the cryopods to pump water through the showers. They had built a massive water tank to hold and heat water. There were no shower heads available so it was sort of a thin stream of water run over a cone. The water sprinkled down the cone overhead in a makeshift shower.

They had constructed a shallow septic tank for drainage. The tank for sewage was going to be placed several hundred feet from camp to prevent contamination of their drinking water.

The men's shower room was half the size of the women's and several small stalls had been built to provide privacy. To conserve, the shower used very little water but it was hot water and the shower felt so good that Bower nearly fell asleep under it. The soap was made out of the crushed root and leaves of a small flowering native plant that Garza had found. The crushed mixture dried into flakes that, when rubbed together, formed a fragrant lather.

After his shower, Bower felt like a new man.

Private Garza had worked with Private Fields and together they prepared the birds for dinner. It was going to be great finally having full stomachs. They made a savory sauce out of crushed Nadia Berries and sea salt and roasted large pieces of the Black Dodos to make a fine dinner. The meat was a little stringy but it was juicy, solid food and they wolfed it down cheering Garza and Fields for a job well done.

Everyone was talking and laughing, joking and chiding in good spirits. The common area was the best place for meals to be eaten. It would probably have to be expanded as more and more people were eventually awakened.

"I have a propositon to make to the three of you that liberated us from the Elysium," Garza called out at the end of dinner. She was talking to Bower, Nadia and Manh who were seated near her. Everyone else quieted down.

"Shoot." Bower told her.

"I think we should promote Corporal Bower to an Officer rank, like maybe Captain and make Manh and Nadia Lieutenants. The rest of us can be promoted as we earn our stripes. I think a military rank system would help clear any mix ups as to who is in charge of what."

"Wait," Bower said. Although he was already in charge of everything, a higher rank seemed a little intimidating as it put even more pressure on him to perform his duties well.

To his dismay, everyone but the three of them cheered and applauded.

"I am not military," Manh protested, "I am an Agricultural Specialist."

"You're the best warrior we have," Patty told him.

"I'm a scientist," Nadia told them.

"You're a natural at leading and advising Captain Bower." Garza smiled at her.

Captain Bower. Great. Although, he did agree that Manh and Nadia should help him run things. He trusted them and their advice completely. "Okay," he relented. "I will do it only because it's what everyone wants. Is there anyone who disagrees?"

More applause.

He stood up. "I think I'm going to promote Garza to Corporal and put her in charge of the meal preparations and the kitchen. Patty, you're Corporal of the Working Women. Dr. Corn, you're Corporal of Medicine."

"Whatever you need." Dr. Corn said. He was still down about the death of Private Bonds. Unbeknownst to Bower, Private Bonds and Dr. Corn had become good friends.

"The death of Private Bonds was a huge loss." Bower said, "And it taught us two things. The first was that the Black Dodos are too dangerous to domesticate right now and that we need to be fully armed and ready for battle whenever and wherever we go outside Base Camp. Private Trejo, I'm promoting you to Corporal to lead the hunting party."

Trejo looked like he swallowed his own tongue. His deep voice came out very softly, "I don't know if that's such a good idea, sir."

"You'll do fine. I want you to wake up a few more soldiers and more workers tomorrow then help Corporal Patty chop down some lumber in the morning. After that, I need you and the rest of the soldiers to fashion weapons and maybe some light armor to go after some more of Black Dodos. Maybe we can bring back some eggs this time."

"I'll do my best."

"Does anyone know anything about chemistry?"

"I do." Dr. Corn raised his hand.

Bower was surprised.

"What?" Dr. Corn asked.

"Nothing, I thought you were just a Doctor."

"Well I might be just a Doctor but I went to some of the best Colleges back on earth and studied many different subjects!" He snapped.

"Cool."

"I have worldly experiences and wisdom that I feel will be vital to my new position as a Corporal."

"That's good. Do you-"

"I am slightly offended that you would assume that I only have medical schooling and nothing else."

"Look, if I offended you I didn't mean-"

"Is that why everyone around here seems to shun me? They think I'm 'just a Doctor'?"

"Kindly shut up, please." Manh growled.

Dr. Corn blinked nervously.

"I'm sorry if I offended you. That's not what I intended," Bower said patiently. "Do you know anything about gasoline?"

"Of course. Why?"

"Because I want to build a large generator to power Base Camp with. We can hang lighting, use power tools and power all water and sewage systems with it. The generator I want to build is going to useless unless we can manufacture fuel."

"Gasoline is too difficult to make without the proper organic compounds. If we were to discover crude oil on this planet, I could attempt to distill some basic low octane fuel but without the proper additives to raise the octane level, I doubt a generator could run on it."

"Damn." That threw a serious wrench into Bower's plans.

"Although, we could try using Ethanol."

"Ethanol?"

"It's easy enough to distill. If we set the carburator wider to burn alcohol and make some adjustments to the spark plugs, I don't see why we couldn't." Dr. Corn was deep in thought. "I think it could work."

"Excellent. Get started on making the fuel as soon as possible."

They heard light drops of rainfall beginning to patter on the overhead leaves. The dark sky had grown darker. It smelled like rain.

Dr. Corn stood up and made his way to his tree hut, still deep in thought. Everyone left their dishes where they were and began to file out of the common area, to get to their huts and out of the rain. A few drops fell on Bower. The rainfall was strangely warm.

Manh and Nadia remained with him on the platform.

"I really don't want to be in charge of anything." Nadia admitted. "I worry about you enough. Now, I have to worry about everyone else too?"

"It was a unanimous vote. You heard everyone, they want us to lead them."

"You could say that they trust us, Nu." Manh offered.

Nadia was flustered. "I'm going to appeal this decision."

"I need you." Bower told her. "I need help with supervision and decision making. Both of you are perfect for the job. You've almost figured out how to make us safe from the predators among other key defenses and insights. There is plenty of things I would have overlooked and plenty of mistakes I would have made if it weren't for you two."

Nadia stared off into the distance.

Bower continued trying to convince her, "We're waking new people up tomorrow. Soon, we'll have a small village full of newcomers. I can't lead them all on my own. I need help."

After a few moments of silence she finally relented. "Okay, but only because I love you." She kissed him and bade them both goodnight.

Bower watched her go. "Thank God," he sighed. Manh chuckled. "For a second there I thought she was going to decline."

"I did too." Manh confessed.

They made small talk for a few minutes until they heard a loud scream from the direction Nadia was headed. Bower knew Nadia would never scream like that. He and Manh took off towards the alarm.

One of the working women lay on her back cringing away from a tall form. Nadia reached the branch that the invader was on first. She was a good distance ahead of Manh and Bower.

The thing sneezed violently, shaking its massive head seemingly unaware of the woman crawling at its feet. The long fur around its head was matted from the rain and the disgusting feelers hung low and limp. It was a Mane.

"Nadia, no!" Bower called.

As usual, Nadia charged towards the Mane fearlessly, arming herself with her spear.

They could hear Nadia yelling to the Working Woman to run. In the darkness and rain, Bower couldn't tell who it was.

"Nadia, wait!" He yelled again. The rope bridges and narrow walkways on the limb tops were difficult to run on. Their feet were slipping on the boards and Bower counted his blessings that Patty had insisted on installing connecting handrails.

The Mane saw Nadia rushing towards it and it roared at her, the deafening bellow was enough to make Manh and Bower both pause, nearly frozen with shock.

Nadia didn't pause. She moved in low, using the spear to sweep the thing's legs out from under it but as she attacked, the Mane shot its claw out and grabbed the spear. Undaunted, Nadia kicked the monster in the face and yanked the spear from it's grip as hard as she could. The Mane didn't let go and her kick seemed to only piss it off.

Manh and Bower were about fifteen feet from Nadia's branch but they had to run to the end of their branch to reach the rope bridge attaching their branch to hers then run to end of the branch she was fighting on.

"Goddammit, Nadia run over here to us!" Bower was screaming now, full of panic.

The Mane squeezed its hand and with it's grip, it snapped the metal spear's shaft and tossed the tip aside. The spear's shaft was about an inch of metal in diameter. The raw strength of the monster was truly terrifying.

Nadia cursed in German and struck the thing across the head with the broken shaft. She began slowly withdrawing, still facing it.

Bower was near fainting. "No, Run!"

The Mane looked murderous. It lowered its massive body, muscles tense, ready to pounce.

They were on her branch now, sprinting towards her. She was only five feet away.

A horrible image of Nadia being clawed and bitten to death before his very eyes crossed his mind fleetingly. His eyes were full of tears, "No!" He was going to lose her. The thought of her not being with him anymore was too painful to bear. His heart threatened to leap out of his chest it was pounded so hard.

The Mane sneezed violently again and shook its head. It coughed and sneezed then, miraculously, it leaped down from the tree's walkway to the ground forty feet below them. They saw it run north, coughing and sneezing.

Bower hugged Nadia so tightly that she gasped in surprise.

"I'm okay." She told him.

He hugged her close, kissing her face. "I thought I lost you."

"I'm okay."

Manh patted her affectionately on the head. "That was too close, Nu."

Nadia tried to smile at him, but Bower was still gripping her tightly.

"I'm fine, Love." She giggled as he covered her face with small kisses. "I'm fine. You're embarassing Manh."

Bower didn't tell them about his vision.


	34. Chapter 34

Note to Readers: I apologize for the long delay for my update. My computer was stricken with a software failure that required me to strip my hard drive. I lost all of my notes and my time line for future Chapters so I am basically having to write from scratch.

Chapter 34: Fortress

They had gathered on the ground at the bottom of the main ladder entrance to Base Camp.

The day was a bright one with a slightly cool breeze that brought in the sweet smelling fragrance of the flowers that inhabited their world around them. Nadia had collected a small sample of the rainwater trapped in a small puddle. She and Manh were examining the sample under the microscope that Dr. Corn had brought down. They were huddled together, hunched over the microscope like protective mother hens and muttering between themselves.

Bower was trying not to get in the way. Dr. Corn was waiting close by for their findings and as usual, he was awkward, hands buried deep in the large pockets of his lab coat. Garza was also with them although she busied herself in tending the nearby garden.

"Pollen." Nadia finally announced. "The trees are releasing massive quantities of a pollen that must be acting like an irritant to the predators around here, especially the ants."

"The rain was enough to drop the pollen count down low enough to allow the mane to approach our camp although only for a short time." Manh continued.

"This pollen is the only thing keeping these predators at bay so we have to be careful not to disturb the trees anymore than we have too." Nadia concluded.

"I'd rather not rely just on pollen for our safety," Bower told them. He saw that Manh seemed troubled. "What's wrong, bud?"

"We are positive it is the small blue flowers that are releasing the pollen." Manh said slowly.

"Yeah? So?"

"Hopefully this tree is not deciduous." Manh said softly.

Now Nadia seemed worried too. "We could be exposed during the winter."

"You're worried that these flowers might not last year round." Bower clarified.

"Correct." Manh said.

_Great, something else for me to worry about._

"Who knows how long the winter lasts on this planet." Nadia offered. "We won't know for sure until we experience one."

"This is a pretty tropical climate." Garza piped up, "Maybe the winters are very short in this region."

"I'd rather not rely on luck to keep us safe either." Bower said. "I need to talk to that Working Woman who was close up to the Mane."

"You can't," Dr. Corn announced solemnly, "She died last night."

Everyone was shocked.

"How?" Bower demanded.

"It was some type of poison. The scratch from that monster was shallow and slight but she was in so much pain, I decided to keep her at the clinic. The poison killed her last night right under my nose. I didn't realize she was poisoned until this morning. I'm sorry." Dr. Corn seemed very upset that he had lost a patient.

"When the hell were you going to tell us?" Manh demanded.

Dr. Corn didn't say anything. He just stared at the ground.

"Poison." Bower said softly to himself.

"Yes. It has to be secreted from the claws and it has to be really potent." Dr. Corn told him. His blue eyes were misty. "Like I said, the scratch was very minor and it was still enough to kill her. I feel guilty but I know I shouldn't. Even if I had figured out she was poisoned, I had no antidote for it. I have no way to treat anyone else who gets poisoned either."

"These Manes make the Hunters look like pushovers," Bowers sighed.

"I think we are eventually going to have to kill that Mane," Manh told him. "It knows where we are now. I think it will begin to hunt us every chance it gets."

"I'm glad you're so optimistic," Bower said. "It's going to take a lot more than our spears and swords to kill that thing. You saw how easily it snapped Nadia's spear."

"We managed to repair her spear," Manh argued. "We can not sit around and wait until it decides to strike again. It has already killed one of us."

"I don't think it's worth the risk."

"I think it is more of a risk not to hunt it down."

Bower wasn't used to disagreeing with Manh but he didn't want to risk anyone else in a attempt to fight something that was so much more powerful. They needed better weapons to defend themselves. "Dr. Corn, do you have any knowledge of how to make gunpowder?"

"No I don't, sorry."

"Damn."

"Maybe one of the soldiers would know," Nadia said.

"That's true." Bower remained hopeful. The only two Corporals that weren't present were Patty and Trejo. They were both in the process of awakening ten more Working Women and ten more soldiers respectively. Things were going to start getting hectic because their population was about to double. He was going to have Corporal Trejo gather the soldiers and see if any of them knew how to make gunpowder.

The gunpowder was the beginning. Producing it for firearms was going to be hard enough. Actually being able to craft casings, packing them with powder, primer and rounds then somehow fitting them together so at the perfectly correct length and caliber was a long way off but they had to start somewhere.

"Look, if we can get better weapons then tackling that Mane will be a lot easier." Bower explained.

"If you are willing to take the chance to wait for our technology to catch up, then I will wait too but I still think we should hunt it down." Manh said.

"May I interject?" Dr. Corn had raised his hand.

"What is it?" Bower asked.

"I thin I agree with Manh on this point."

Bower didn't know who was more surprised, he or Manh. "Really."

"Well if we could kill it, I could derive an antidote from it's venom like I did for the ants."

"That's true." Bower admitted.

Manh was watching Bower.

"At least let me find out if anyone can make explosives, okay?"

Manh nodded, "Agreed."

Dr. Corn consented as well.

When Bower reached the beach where the rest of the pods were secured, he saw that Corporal Trejo and Private Silvers had gathered the new troops around and were briefing them of their circumstances. He was introduced, uncomfortably, as Captain Bower when he approached and asked the newcomers if any of them knew how to make gunpowder. He was wasting his time because most of them couldn't even remember who they were.

"What did you need gunpowder for, sir?" Trejo asked.

"For the Manes. We need something to attack it at a distance with. Spears aren't going to be enough."

"What about bows and arrows?" Private Silvers chimed in, "The Native American tribes used to make short bows powerful enough to hunt buffalo with."

_Why hadn't I thought of bow and arrows?_

Itjust might be enough. Bows and arrows would make hunting the Black Dodos easier too. "That's a damn good idea, Private. Corporal Trejo, I want enough bows made for everyone in camp. Private Silvers, I'll put you in charge of training people on how to fire a bow correctly."

"I've never fired a bow myself." Silvers admitted.

"Well, learn how then show the others." Bowers told him. "You're going to need to build a shooting range in order to practice. Trejo you are going to have to gather materials but also guard everyone against possible predators. That all needs to come together later though. Right now, Corporal Patty needs help chopping down some trees for lumber. Let's make it happen." He was happy to see Trejo take charge and start barking orders to the Privates. They in turn did as they were told quickly and efficiently. He was damn proud of how well everyone was adapting to their new surroundings.

Bower headed back towards the treeline to see how Patty was doing with her new workers. He saw that Nadia was waiting for him. The sunlight was shining in her hair and eyes. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Maybe Manh was right. If the Mane had not been driven off by the pollen, Nadia could be dead.

She hugged him closely. "You're stressing out, Love. Everything is going to be fine."

He didn't realize that he had been stressed. As she told him to calm down and rubbed his shoulders, he felt a heavy weight slowly being massaged from his back. Once again, he felt as though he could conquer any obstacle so long as she was by his side. Her hair smelled sweet and she felt warm in his arms.

"Come with me to check on Patty." He said and she nodded.

The new arrivals to Patty's group seemed even more confused than the soldiers had by far. Bower called Patty over so he wouldn't have to meet the newcomers. He was in a hurry to touch bases with her, then he had a lot of other things to take care of.

"Corporal Patty." He said then hesitated.

"Yes, sir, Captain sir." She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"What's your last name, Patty?"

"Patricia. That's why everyone calls me Patty." She spoke slowly as though she suspected him of teasing her.

"Okay. I thought Patty was your first name."

"I did too," Nadia admitted chuckling.

Patty laughed, "Nope. My name is Ann Juliet Patricia."

"I guess Corporal Patty is fine then." Bower continued. "I've got some bodies headed your way to help with your lumber. Just get with Corporal Trejo and let him know what you need his people to do and they'll get it done. I'd like this wall to be built ASAP."

"You got it, Chief."

The rest of the day was uneventful except for the fact that the new Working Women proved to be a little less productive than their predecessors. They got a decent stretch of wall built but it should have been more. Of course a third of the Working Women were tied up in making new huts in the trees for the newcomers and connecting more rope bridges to the center common area.

The wall was to be almost two feet thick and twenty feet high so that it took the soldiers a long time to not only cut the trees down but to trim them, carry them and then place them in their resting place. Even with Nadia, Manh and Bower lending a hand, only a ten foot section of wall was finished at the end of the day. Several bows had been fashioned, the bow string being made out of fibers from vines that were carefully twisted together. They fashioned a prototype arrow using reeds from the high fens near the swamp for the shaft and sharp stones collected from the base of the rocky mountain for the arrowheads. Black Dodo feathers were used as fletching. Every time they tested the bow with the prototype arrow, the bow string would either break or come loose so more testing was needed before the bows and arrows could be mass produced.

At dinner, Bower discussed his concerns with how slow it was taking with Patty and Trejo. They both assured him that things would get smoother and more work would get done the next day. The new Working Women just needed a little time to adjust.

After another wonderful dinner of Black Dodo and wild onion soup, Bower kissed Nadia goodnight and watched her leave. He and Manh were the only ones remaining in the common area. They had not spoken since their disagreement earlier so Bower assumed Manh was angry with his decision. He was wrong.

"When I was a child, I remember my mother would look up at the stars at night and tell me stories of the Vietnamese mythology." Manh said quietly. He was leaned back in one of the chairs and staring up into the clear night sky. "She spoke of Cuoi who lives on the moon. He was a buffalo boy who lost his father at a tender age. Cuoi was a pest because he constantly told lies to everyone and everything. He lied to heaven, he lied to the earth and even to himself. He only lied to get by though."

"Really?" Bower got comfortable. "Tell me more."

"He was raised by his mother with the help of his uncle but he burdened them with his constant lying. One day, he hurt some tiger cubs, purposefully trying to break their necks. He heard the mother tiger coming and so he hastily climbed a tree. The mother tiger went straight to a banyan tree and began to chew the leaves. As Cuoi watched, she applied the concoction to the cubs and they were revived. After the tigers were gone, Cuoi took roots of the tree home to grow a healing tree of his own. Even though he doted on the tree and bade his wife not to harm it, she got mad at all the attention he gave it. Out of jealousy, she urinated on it."

"Holy shit."

"The tree was so clean that it flew to heaven. Cuoi stuck his ax into it and was dragged along with it into the sky. He still lives on the moon to this day."

"That's really cool, bud."

"I was just thinking that I can remember the stories so perfectly but I can not remember anything about my mother other than the stories she used to tell me."

Bower didn't know what to say.

"I do not think I will ever remember either."

"I still can't remember where I met my wife, our honeymoon or how long we were married." Bower whispered.

"I can not imagine what these newcomers have forgotten. They must be struggling to remember things. We should be patient with them."

Bower realized the point of their conversation and appreciated it. "Yeah, you're right."

The night was cool and dry. The leaves swished and shuffled as the light breeze brushed by them. There were so many stars in the dark sky that Bower was captivated by their beauty.

"I gotta ask you something." He said finally.

Manh turned toward him. "What is it?"

"What's your first name?"

"Jimmy."

Bower was surprised. "Really?"

"Yes." Manh was still staring at him. "Why?"

"I thought your first name would be more cultural that's all."

"Cultural?"

"Well you know, more Vietnamese than English."

Manh laughed. "My mother was very proud of her heritage but she was also proud to be American."

Bower chuckled. "I'm going to have to remember to ask Nadia what her last name is."

After their talk, he climbed down to use the latrine. He was fully armed with the pistol and his two swords but he doubted he would need them on his quick trip to use the facilities. He hadn't been in the new latrine yet and he was eager to see what they had managed to finish.

The latrine was a solid building, low to the ground with lots of small rectangular ventilation holes near the ceiling. It was several hundred feet from Base Camp but lanterns had been hung up along the way to illuminate the path. The handcrafted lanterns were fueled by ethanol that Dr. Corn was still perfecting and so far, they were working great. Once they figured out how to create light bulbs, they would have proper lighting throughout.

There was no door to the entrance of the restrooms, it just had a screening wall in front of the doorway on both the men and women side. Inside, the working women had cleared the ground of most vegetation, rocks and weeds so that the ground was at least clear and flat. The urinals were narrow funnels in the ground and the toilets were just metal buckets with rubber trim for seating. The bucket bottom had been cut out and placed over a narrow hole that lead to the septic tank below. The buckets were a lot lower to the ground than traditional toilets so it was going to take some getting used to when he did have to defecate.

He stood before one of the urinals and began to relieve himself thinking about how far they had come as a group. Soon, they would have a small town and more and more technology would be perfected, bringing them into a more modern age.

Bower finished urinating and paused because he heard the sound of sniffing right outside of the latrine. He was confused at first but froze in horror when he saw the glowing green eyes staring down at him through one of the vents.

_For fuck's sake._


End file.
